FMIPA UI Presents Sustainable Ocean Education Achievements at the SustainaBlue Forum in Penang

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Universitas Indonesia (FMIPA UI), through the SustainaBlue Study Center under the Special Work Unit – Applied Science Institute (UKK-LST), attended the interim meeting of the SustainaBlue project held at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, on 5–6 November 2025. This meeting is part of a series of SustainaBlue project activities funded by ERASMUS – the European Union (EU) and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

In the forum, the SustainaBlue UI Project Leader, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Mufti Petala Patria, presented the achievements of the sustainable ocean education roadshow, which has reached more than 600 students in Simeulue Island (Aceh), Masamba (South Sulawesi), and Harapan Island (Jakarta Capital Region). The program received broad appreciation from all partners, as it was considered effective in raising young people’s awareness of the importance of protecting marine ecosystems and understanding Indonesia’s blue economy potential.

Prof. Mufti expressed his appreciation for the positive response from the partners. “I am very pleased with the positive feedback. Thank you to the entire SustainaBlue UI team for your dedication and hard work. I hope that moving forward we can continue to make even better progress,” he said.

Over the two-day event, representatives from all participating institutions presented their respective progress. To date, SustainaBlue activities have included blue economy roadshows for university students, fishermen, and youth communities; marine health awareness programs for elementary to high school students; and the development of new undergraduate courses on Marine Biotechnology and Bioprospecting. On the second day, participants also took part in a roundtable discussion to formulate collaboration strategies for the coming year.

The SustainableUI team in attendance consisted of the Deputy Chair, Dr. Retno Lestari, M.Si., as well as operational team members Achmad Eka Satria, S.Si., and Ratu Nida Hamidah, S.Si.

The SustainaBlue Project Officer from Symplexis, Theodora Soulantika, also expressed her appreciation for the strong collaboration. She hopes that the next meeting, which will be held at Universitas Indonesia at the end of 2026, will further strengthen inter-institutional cooperation. “I am very happy to work with all of you. This experience in Penang has been wonderful, and I hope we can meet again in Jakarta next year,” she said.

SustainaBlue is a cross-country collaborative initiative involving universities from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Greece. The participating institutions include Universitas Indonesia (UI), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), the University of Cyprus (UCY), and the University of the Aegean (UoA).

In addition, the project is also supported by several partner institutions, including PT Pandu Bina Sejahtera, the Malaysian Aquaculture Development Association, Symplexis, Aegean Rebreath, and the Center for Social Innovation (CSI).

Officially launched on 11 June 2024, SustainaBlue is an Indonesia–Malaysia collaborative program focused on accelerating blue economy development and supporting the green transition as part of the strategic agenda for sustainable development.