Northern Arizona University is one of 23 universities across the United States to receive a Global Innovation Initiative grant, a joint effort between the U.S. and United Kingdom governments to support new university partnerships and foster multilateral research collaboration with higher education institutions in Brazil, China, India and Indonesia.
The grant of nearly $250,000 is one of 10 awarded to U.S.-led partnerships by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It will support a new two-year research partnership between NAU, Aberystwyth University in the U.K. and the University of Mataram in Indonesia that aims to help Indonesia develop more sustainable forest management practices. A key goal is to protect and enhance local and global ecosystem service delivery while also reducing local poverty in forest margin communities.
Yeon-Su Kim, professor in the School of Forestry and principal investigator on the project, said the effort will expand collaborative partnerships among the three institutions and engage Indonesian academics, researchers, policymakers and stakeholders to help improve their local forest management. The project also aims to increase student and faculty exchanges and collaboration across the three countries.
“It has been really nice to watch Yeon-Su build contacts and a research program in Indonesia,” said James Allen, professor and executive director for NAU’s School of Forestry. “It is already generating tangible results.”