MAKASSAR – Hasanuddin University (Unhas) is collaborating with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) through the Pre-Doctoral Programme 2026. The program is designed to help academics and prospective doctoral students from eastern Indonesia prepare their academic and research journey toward a PhD, particularly in the Netherlands.
In its second year, the program has seen an increase in participants. A total of 31 academics and prospective doctoral students from various universities in eastern Indonesia passed the language document and research proposal selection to take part in the Face-to-Face (F2F) stage. That is more than double the inaugural edition in 2025, which had 13 participants.
Of this year’s 31 participants, six come from universities outside Unhas, with participants spread from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) to Papua.
The program, organized by the Unhas Directorate of Learning Innovation in cooperation with VU Amsterdam, features Dr. Denyse Snelder and Dr. Sabina Di Prima. Participants receive training to strengthen their research skills, academic competencies, and presentation skills as preparation for entering doctoral education.
During the F2F sessions, participants were encouraged to reflect on and develop their research ideas, clarify the relevance of their topics, connect them with the wider literature, and determine appropriate methodological approaches. The program also includes one-to-one coaching sessions, to be held online in early October, to give more specific feedback on each participant’s proposal.
Unhas Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc., together with Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs Prof. Muhammad Ruslin, drg., M.Kes., Ph.D., Sp.B.M.Mf., Subsp.Ortognat.D., also gave support and motivation to the participants.
Unhas leaders specifically encouraged Unhas lecturers to keep improving their academic capacity and to make use of the various opportunities to pursue doctoral studies abroad.
“We are now in the era of networks, the era of the Internet of Things, and have even entered the era of the AI of Things. So do not stop making use of the opportunities available to develop yourselves,” Prof. JJ urged.
The program is aimed not only at producing more mature research proposals but also at building participants’ academic, mental, and strategic readiness before they begin their PhD journey.
The Face-to-Face (F2F) activity of the Pre-Doctoral Programme 2026 was held on 7–11 September 2026 at Hasanuddin University, Makassar.(*/diva)
Editor : Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.