BIOTROP welcomed Dr. Arif Satria, the new rector of the Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), for an orientation meeting on the Centre's programs, including a tour of its facilities, on 15 January 2018.

BIOTROP Board of Directors, briefed the rector on the Centre's Five-Year Development Plan and existing research and capacity building programs, and also on SEAMEO protocols. The briefing was aimed to familiarize the rector on these matters in relation to his function as the incoming Governing Board Member of BIOTROP representing Indonesia as well as to strengthen the working relations between the Centre and IPB.

In his remarks, Dr Arif emphasized the need for BIOTROP to give more attention to bringing the Centre's research results for adoption in communities within the context of sustainability science toward solving human and environmental concerns. In this regard, he suggested that BIOTROP and IPB should develop collaborative action research roadmap on common areas of interest to address national and regional needs. The roadmap should highlight the expertise and complementation of existing facilities of both institutions, he added.

Dr Arif also talked about the need for BIOTROP and IPB to sustain and strengthen the joint implementation of the Master in Information Technology for Natural Resource Management (MIT) Program in terms of its core teaching team and promotion in the region as an international degree program. He also requested BIOTROP to share information about foreign experts visiting the Centre to enhance international collaboration.

The rector gained additional information on BIOTROP's regular activities when he toured the Centre's facilities that are being used for training and community service purposes. These included the hydroponic greenhouse, aquaculture and biofloc system, mushroom production house, and tissue culture laboratory.