On 14 October 2024, a delegation from Wellcome visited OUCRU Indonesia to deepen their understanding of the unit’s research, learn about its collaborations with various partners, and gain insights into its capacity-building initiatives for local researchers.
The visit began with a meeting between the Wellcome delegates and key members of the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia (FMUI). The discussion centred around the ongoing collaboration between OUCRU and FMUI and ways to strengthen this partnership.
Following the meeting, the delegates were taken on a tour of OUCRU Indonesia’s workspaces and labs to give them a firsthand look at the unit’s operations. This was followed by a separate session offering an overview of OUCRU Indonesia’s four research programmes: Malaria, Geospatial Epidemiology, Community Health & Genomics, and Clinical Infectious Diseases Research Programmes.
The visit also featured a Science Bazaar to provide Wellcome delegates the opportunity to interact directly with OUCRU Indonesia’s scientists and collaborators. The bazaar showcased 12 scientific posters highlighting research from OUCRU Indonesia’s four research programmes as well as our initiatives at public & community engagement.
The Wellcome delegation also had the opportunity to observe a demonstration of “Science Dojo”—a structured debate-style exercise co-developed by OUCRU Indonesia with the support of the British Council in Indonesia. This exercise is designed to foster analytical and critical thinking and communications skills among scientists, with the goal of nurturing the next generation of Indonesian researchers.
The visiting Wellcome delegates were:
- Julia Kemp, Head of Major International Programmes
- Stephen Gray, Senior Manager of Major International Programmes
- Alex Pym, Director of Infectious Diseases
- Sally Nicholas, Head of Health Systems and Environment
- Titus Divala, Research Lead Epidemics
- Jimmy Volmink, Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer
- Diego Baptista, Head of Research and Funding Equity
- Alethea Cope, Head of Translation
This visit was an opportunity to showcase OUCRU Indonesia’s contributions to health research and capacity building and strengthen collaboration with Wellcome. The delegates visited OUCRU Indonesia as part of their participation in the Major International Programmes Regional Annual Meeting 2024, hosted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from October 16 to 18.
