From a Love of Fish to Building Connections That Last
Stories from the Higher Education Partnership for a Sustainable Blue Economy by Inty Dienasari
Professor Hefni Effendi (left) with Professor Raimund Bleischwitz and Dr Sebastian Ferse from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Germany, during a field visit to the floating cage aquaculture site at Cirata Reservoir. The visit provided H2O Summer Course participants with first-hand insights into the opportunities and challenges of sustainable inland aquaculture in Indonesia.
Beyond a Summer School
Although the Summer School is one of STABLE's most visible activities, Professor Hefni sees it as just one step in a much longer journey.
During the opening of the Summer School, he explained that STABLE is designed to strengthen higher education collaboration through curriculum development, course content development, advance training, Summer Schools, research stays, research dissemination and an international symposium. Together, these activities create opportunities for students, researchers and lecturers to build lasting academic partnerships across Europe and Southeast Asia.
For Professor Hefni, this long-term collaboration is the programme's greatest strength.
Working with universities from Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and the Netherlands has enabled academics to exchange expertise, develop new teaching materials, initiate joint research and explore future collaborations beyond the lifetime of the project.
He hopes these partnerships will continue to grow through new research proposals, academic exchanges and collaborative initiatives that address emerging challenges in the Blue Economy.
The True Meaning of Connectivity
For Professor Hefni, the value of international collaboration cannot be measured simply by the number of activities completed.
Instead, he believes its success depends on whether the relationships created today continue to generate new ideas and opportunities tomorrow.
"Successful connectivity means it does not stop when the project ends," he says.
That belief reflects the broader ambition of the European Union's Global Gateway strategy—to build trusted, long-term partnerships that strengthen cooperation between Europe and Southeast Asia.
Through STABLE, that ambition takes shape in classrooms, research collaborations and professional networks that connect students, researchers and universities across borders. The programme is not only sharing knowledge today; it is helping establish the relationships that will support future research, innovation and sustainable development.
Beyond lectures and field visits, the H2O Summer School created space for meaningful conversations. Professor Hefni Effendi engages with participants from the University of Groningen, reflecting STABLE's commitment to strengthening academic partnerships and people-to-people connections between Europe and Southeast Asia.
Looking Ahead
While Professor Hefni continues to lead international collaborations, his long-term vision remains firmly rooted in Indonesia.
He hopes to see more self-sufficient islands where communities can sustainably manage clean water, renewable energy and waste while protecting the natural ecosystems on which they depend. Achieving that vision, he believes, requires continuous learning, strong partnerships and the willingness to keep working together across disciplines and borders.
His philosophy is simple, "Man jadda wajada," he says. Those who strive with determination will eventually achieve their goals.
It is a principle that has guided his own academic journey—and one that continues to inspire his work in building partnerships that last.
Dr Alim Setiawan Slamet, Rector of IPB University, and Professor Hefni Effendi during the opening of the H2O Summer School. Hosted by IPB University under the STABLE partnership, the programme brings together students, researchers and academics from Europe and Southeast Asia to strengthen collaboration on a sustainable Blue Economy.
About the Programme
The Higher Education Partnership for a Sustainable Blue Economy (STABLE) is one of the Higher Education Institution (HEI) Clusters supported through SCOPE-HE, the EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education.
Supported by the European Union under the Global Gateway initiative, SCOPE-HE strengthens collaboration between higher education institutions across Europe and Southeast Asia. Through STABLE, students, researchers and academics work together to advance education, research and innovation for a sustainable Blue Economy.
Read more about STABLE: https://scopehe-stable.ipb.ac.id/