New PAIR Lab announced to ensure continued research in South Sulawesi

Working together to deliver long-term and sustainable partnerships is the aim of the PAIR Lab, a research initiative of Universitas Hasanuddin and the Australia-Indonesia Centre.

The lab builds upon the existing strong ties between the centre and the university and continues the collaborative research work under the Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR).

The lab will strengthen the existing network of university researchers, policymakers, industry and civil society, and focus on the interests of South Sulawesi.

The lab also has the support of Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology.

The lab’s establishment follows meetings between the AIC and Universitas Hasanuddin management in late 2021.

Rector of Universitas Hasanuddin, Jamaluddin Jompa, said the lab would help inform future research work and lead to better outcomes.

“The lessons learned can be used to create more PAIR labs in Indonesia that look at the challenges in other provinces and develop a comparative body of knowledge and application,” said Professor Jamaluddin.

The PAIR Lab is expected to make a contribution not only through the research, but also in training and fostering a South Sulawesi knowledge ecosystem with webinars, forums and roundtables.

Professor Jamaluddin said the lab was a logical next step following Universitas Hasanuddin’s ongoing cooperation with AIC and PAIR.

“Universitas Hasanuddin is proud to be part of PAIR’s knowledge partnership, including through the large number of researchers who have collaborated on PAIR research,” he said.

“The research teams and universities have benefited from sharing knowledge and learning together.”

Professor Jamaluddin said it was important for researchers to respond to the needs of policymakers “with relevant, problem-focused research and insights”.

“The research we do tackles questions and problems, not only through an interdisciplinary approach but also by engaging with policy, civil society and industry needs.”

The PAIR lab agreement follows the recent visit of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to both South Sulawesi and Universitas Hasanuddin.

The executive director of the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Dr Eugene Sebastian, said he was grateful to Universitas Hasanuddin for its support.

“Sub-national governments are looking for ways to improve services to the public. They are constantly confronted with having to make policy and are seeking research evidence to help inform their decisions.”

“The lab responds to this need,” said Dr Sebastian.

The PAIR Lab continues the work AIC started in 2019, supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

According to Dr Sebastian it’s an example of how universities contribute to sustainability and network building beyond the life of a development initiative, and building long term people-to-people connections in an institutionalised way.

“The PAIR Lab will work with civil servants to produce valuable insights that can help decision-making,” he said.

“It draws on existing work on connectivity, commodities and young people. It also leverages the Centre’s deep network of local and international experts.”

The vision is for the PAIR Lab to be at the forefront of delivering international best-practice which is policy-directed and provides cutting-edge research in South Sulawesi and eastern Indonesia.

Dr Sebastian also expressed appreciation for the PAIR Lab concept from the government of South Sulawesi.

Contact details for further information

Supratman Supa Athana
UNHAS Media Centre, Universitas Hasanuddin
supratman@unhas.ac.id
+62 813-5511-6853

Hasnawati Saleh, Ph.D
PAIR Research Coordinator, The Australia-Indonesia Centre
Room 311 3rd Floor Sekolah Pascasarjana
Universitas Hasanuddin

About the AIC

The Australia-Indonesia Centre (AIC) is a consortium of 11 leading research universities in both countries. Its mission is to advance people-to-people links in science, technology, education, innovation and culture.

About PAIR

The Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR) is the program that advances the research linkages between the two countries and improves the impact of that research.