New Research Horizons in the Joint Meeting of Lorestan University and the University of Malang, Indonesia

In line with the development of international cooperation and the enhancement of Lorestan University's transnational academic role, the Research and Technology Vice-Presidency of the university, in a joint meeting with Universitas Negeri Malang (UM) of Indonesia, discussed and reviewed areas of cooperation in geography, environment, and student and faculty exchange. This meeting, held with the objective of concluding a memorandum of understanding, is considered an operational step towards the internationalization of the university.

According to the Public Relations of Lorestan University, this meeting was held online on September 18, 2026, at 10 AM Iran time, with the coordination and follow-up of Dr. Maryam Navidi, a faculty member of the English Language Department at Lorestan University.

At the beginning of the meeting, areas and capacities for joint cooperation between the two universities were discussed. Dr. Hossein Hatami, the Vice-President for Research and Technology at Lorestan University, welcomed the Indonesian delegation and declared Lorestan University's full readiness to expand scientific and international collaborations.

Subsequently, Dr. Ashkan Banan, a faculty member of the Fisheries Engineering Department at the Faculty of Natural Resources of Lorestan University, representing Lorestan University, introduced the capacities, capabilities, and potential for cooperation of Lorestan University through a PowerPoint presentation.

On the other side, Dr. Listyo Yudha Irawan also presented a PowerPoint, introducing the capacities and potential of Universitas Negeri Malang.

Following the presentations, a specialized exchange of views took place focusing on cooperation in the specialized field of geography.

In this segment, Dr. Siamak Sharifi, a faculty member of the Geography Department at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities of Lorestan University, while referring to the natural and geographical potentials of Lorestan Province, mentioned the globally recognized geoparks in this province, including the Shirz Geopark. He requested that, considering that 12 geoparks have already been registered globally in Indonesia, synergy and experience transfer be facilitated for the continuation of the global registration process for Lorestan's geoparks.

Dr. Ifan Deffinika, Head of the Geography Department Laboratory, and Dr. Listyo Yudha Irawan, Head of the Geography Department, expressed their readiness in all the discussed areas.

Dr. Morteza Ghobadi also attended this meeting representing the Environmental Science group of Lorestan University and announced Lorestan University's readiness for cooperation in environmental fields.

Furthermore, Dr. Elya Kurniawati from the International Office of the Indonesian university, while expressing her pleasure at the holding of this meeting, announced that cooperation will be further expanded in the future.

The agreed-upon areas of joint cooperation are as follows:

1. Joint research in the fields of geography and environment.

2. Exchange of faculty members and students.

3. Joint supervision of theses and dissertations.

4. Organization of joint international conferences and workshops.

5. Joint international scientific publications.

6. Exchange of scientific resources.

7. Geography and environmental technology and innovation.

8. Online training courses.

At the end of this meeting, it was decided that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be concluded between Lorestan University and Universitas Negeri Malang of Indonesia to establish a formal framework for future collaborations.

Source of news text data:

Research and Technology Vice-Presidency of Lorestan University.