"By the existing capacities and advantages, we want to contribute further together with stakeholders, especially research centers in government and private institutions, as well as the industrial sector. Through this program, it is hoped that ITB and other parties can establish the research collaboration," Dean of Postgraduate ITB, Prof. Suprijadi, said on Friday (26/2/2021).

According to Prof. Suprijadi, researchers in government, private, and industrial research institutions have a high commitment to research. ITB wants to facilitate their interests. "We encourage researchers to work together, developing researches with special needs in various fields," he said. One of the MBR program's advantages is that the participants can take further education without leaving their jobs. "This program is suitable for those who want to focus on independent research work without leaving their jobs," he revealed.

Regarding prospective students who are expected to participate in the MBR program, Prof. Suprijadi highlights research experiences before joining the program. "This program makes research experience an absolute prerequisite. For example, people who work in research institutes or agencies that have research institutes, or also researchers who already have scientific publications, could join the program," he explained.

MBR program student candidates consist of two categories, namely the researchers from research institutes and ITB undergraduate students.
The first category is prospective students who work in research institutions or companies with research institutions. If it has been declared accepted, they can research according to the research being carried out at their workplace.

The second category is for prospective students who are ITB undergraduate graduates with academic achievements and have recognized research results, for example, those published in scientific journals. "They can immediately continue their master's degree at ITB with this program," stated Prof. Suprijadi.

Those prospective candidates must obtain approval from the supervisor who will accompany them during the researches. Also, it is not allowed to replace the supervisor in the middle of the program. "So if the prospective mentor has been approved, they can enter MBR and follow the regulation," said Suprijadi. Thus, it is hoped that research can begin immediately after being accepted into this program.

ITB will open the program in the 2021-2022 academic year. Suprijadi stated that ITB would open the registration around March to April 2021. Also, he said that the MBR program is not available for all departments in ITB. "We will inform it later before the registration," he said.

Reporter : Adi Permana
Translator : Billy Akbar Prabowo (Metallurgical Engineering 2020)