SUSTAIN continues to promote institutional capacity building and knowledge exchange among partner universities through its Staff Mobility programme. From 28 April – 31 May 2026, two staff members from Universitas Nusa Cendana (UNDANA), Yonatan Hans Luter Lopo and Emilia Gie, participated in a range of activities at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). The mobility programme focused on strengthening institutional capacity, particularly in academic publishing and higher education learning practices.
One of the main activities was conducted in collaboration with the Journal of Social and Political (JSP) at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM. During the programme, the two UNDANA participants had the opportunity to learn about various practices in academic journal management, from editorial processes to approaches for improving the quality and sustainability of academic publications. They also exchanged experiences and discussed the challenges and practices of journal management across their respective institutions.
This exchange was particularly relevant to UNDANA as the university continues to develop its journal management capacity. The knowledge and experience gained through the mobility programme are expected to provide useful references for strengthening academic publishing systems while supporting the development of a stronger research and knowledge production ecosystem at UNDANA.
In addition to institutional capacity building, the Staff Mobility programme provided participants with an opportunity to engage with UGM’s academic environment through a sit-in in the Master’s Programme in Politics and Government. The participants attended the Master’s course on Political Ecology, gaining first-hand experience of classroom learning, academic discussions, and the exchange of ideas on issues related to energy and natural resource governance.
The experience allowed the participants not only to broaden their substantive understanding of energy-related issues, but also to observe teaching and academic discussion practices at the postgraduate level. Their interactions throughout the programme contributed to the exchange of academic experiences between UGM and UNDANA. Through the Staff Mobility programme, SUSTAIN seeks to strengthen institutional capacity and sustainable learning networks among partner universities. The knowledge and practices gained during the mobility are expected to be brought back to UNDANA and further developed, particularly in strengthening journal management, academic activities, and the development of study centres that contribute to the broader agenda of sustainable natural resource governance and transitions.
