International Mobility Staff

This program is initiated in response to the low level of international partnerships between Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) and top-tier universities worldwide. Based on the SWOT analysis, one of the formulated strategies is the development of World-Class Research rooted in excellence and local wisdom under the TALENTA theme. The International Mobility Staff (IMS) program is designed to facilitate and provide opportunities for USU lecturers and staff to collaborate with world-class researchers. Human resources (HR) are key to national and university progress. High-quality and competitive HR are crucial and have been included as one of the national development agendas in Indonesia's National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN IV 2020-2024). This agenda is also aligned with Policy Direction 3, Strategy 10, and Work Program 38 of Universitas Sumatera Utara's Strategic Plan (Renstra USU 2020-2024), which focuses on Enhancing Human Resources Quality. Indonesian universities play a vital role in preparing highly competitive human resources. This preparation must be done through high-quality and internationally oriented education to ensure Indonesian graduates can actively participate in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the global market. The productivity of excellent and competitive human resources can only be enhanced through serious efforts to strengthen the development of science and technology grounded in the nation's noble cultural heritage. Higher education plays a crucial role in providing high-quality human resources, and the quality of higher education institutions is highly dependent on the availability of competent lecturers and education staff. Therefore, the continuous and systematic improvement of faculty and staff quality is necessary, not only for recruits but also for senior faculty and staff. Law No. 14 of 2005 on Teachers and Lecturers explicitly states two critical points (1) Lecturers are required to enhance and develop their competencies continuously (2) Lecturers have the right to opportunities for competency development, access to learning resources, information, facilities, infrastructure, research, and community service activities. This means that academic positions such as Professorships and Doctoral degrees do not mark the end of the learning process. Lecturers and education staff responsible for fostering a lifelong learning paradigm must embody the lifelong learner mindset. A platform that allows lecturers and staff—often occupied with on-campus activities—to update their expertise in their respective fields is needed. By introducing the Merdeka Campus (Kampus Merdeka) initiative in Indonesian higher education, the International Mobility Staff (IMS) program offers lecturers and staff greater opportunities to establish international collaborations with universities, research institutions, industries, and companies. This program also provides real-world experiences, enabling lecturers and staff to share knowledge with industry professionals and enhance their academic reputation by undertaking internships or working at international companies. Finally, we extend our appreciation and gratitude to the Development Team and all parties who contributed to the realization of this guideline.