BINUS University’s Commitment to Interdisciplinary Research

BINUS University’s Commitment to Interdisciplinary Research

Overview

BINUS University is committed to advancing interdisciplinary research as a core part of its academic, innovation, and societal mission. This commitment is reflected in the university’s vision to promote holistic activities, including solving real-world problems through the integration of multiple disciplines. At BINUS University, interdisciplinary research is not treated as a separate or occasional initiative, but as an embedded institutional approach that connects education, research, innovation, industry collaboration, and community impact.

Through structured research groups, dedicated facilities, internal funding mechanisms, innovation platforms, and performance indicators, BINUS University continues to strengthen an ecosystem where faculty members, students, and partners can collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to generate meaningful and applicable outcomes.

Why Interdisciplinary Research Matters at BINUS University

BINUS University recognizes that many contemporary challenges cannot be solved through a single discipline alone. Issues related to digital transformation, sustainability, health, education, creative industries, industrial development, and community empowerment often require integrated perspectives from science, engineering, business, design, social sciences, and technology.

For this reason, BINUS University actively promotes interdisciplinary collaboration to:

  • encourage broader and more relevant problem solving
  • develop more applicable research outcomes
  • support innovation and commercialization
  • strengthen collaboration between academia and external stakeholders
  • prepare students and faculty members for increasingly complex and connected challenges

Institutional Commitment

BINUS University has established interdisciplinary research as part of its institutional priorities. One of the university’s performance indicators specifically measures research projects or research outputs involving multiple scientific disciplines. This target is cascaded into every department to ensure broad participation and university-wide awareness.

As of 2024, BINUS University recorded 287 interdisciplinary research titles within a single year. The measurement of this performance indicator is aligned with the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings methodology, helping ensure consistency with internationally recognized standards while strengthening the relevance and comparability of BINUS University’s interdisciplinary research performance.

In addition, interdisciplinary engagement is reinforced through:

  • an institutional vision that emphasizes holistic problem solving
  • internal research grants that require interdisciplinary collaboration
  • community empowerment and service implementation through PKM
  • targets related to technology application for society and product commercialization for industry
  • innovation recognition through internal awards and showcases

Research Platforms and Communities

BINUS University provides structured academic platforms to support interdisciplinary research collaboration.

Research Interest Groups and Research Centers

BINUS University has:

These platforms bring together faculty members from different disciplinary backgrounds to work on shared research agendas, develop collaborative outputs, and strengthen research capacity across fields.

Centers of Excellence

BINUS University also supports interdisciplinary research through Centers of Excellence, which serve as focused platforms for strategic themes and collaborative research development. These centers provide academic space for faculty members and researchers to engage in cross-disciplinary work through formal roles and research fellowship schemes.

Faculty Support Communities

For faculty members who need structured research communities, BINUS University provides access to RIGs, RCs, and Centers of Excellence as enabling environments for collaboration, coordination, and interdisciplinary project development.

Administrative Support for Interdisciplinary Research

BINUS University provides specific administrative support for interdisciplinary science research teams through multiple institutional mechanisms.

Research Grant Administration

The university supports the administration of research grants, including internal grants that require interdisciplinary collaboration. This ensures that interdisciplinary work is embedded not only in academic values, but also in formal research management and funding processes.

Research Enhancement Support

Within RTTO, the Research Enhancement unit is responsible for managing faculty member and student research, supporting faculty capacity development, and overseeing academic integrity in research. This unit also plays an important role in strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration through institutional coordination and research support.

Student Research and Innovation Programs

BINUS University routinely supports student participation in the Student Creativity Program (Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa / PKM), a national program initiated by the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education. This program encourages research, innovation, and problem solving that often require perspectives from more than one discipline. BINUS University also has Multidisciplinary Thesis Track that facilitates interdisciplinary collaborations for undergraduate thesis between students from different departments.

BINUS Creates

BINUS University also strengthens applied interdisciplinary collaboration through BINUS Creates, a strategic platform that connects creativity, technology, business strategy, digital transformation, organizational development, and industry-oriented problem solving. Supported by academics and practitioners, this platform helps translate interdisciplinary expertise into practical solutions for external stakeholders.

Innovation Recognition

To reinforce the culture of innovation, BINUS University provides institutional recognition through an Innovation Award, which appreciates the most innovative products and services developed within the university. This recognition encourages collaboration across fields and highlights the value of interdisciplinary outcomes.

Physical Facilities for Interdisciplinary Research

BINUS University provides dedicated physical facilities to support interdisciplinary science research teams across applicable disciplines. These facilities enable collaboration among faculty members, researchers, students, and external partners from different academic and professional backgrounds.

Major Facilities

Key facilities include:

  • Research & Innovation Integrated Lab (RIIL) at Room 700, 7th Floor, Anggrek Campus, equipped with a 3D printer, product showcase space, and application-based research support tools
  • BINUS Science Techno Park, which facilitates collaboration among academia, industry, government, communities, and media
  • SMART Factory at BINUS Bekasi, developed in collaboration with SangSang University, supporting interdisciplinary work related to manufacturing, digital systems, and industrial transformation
  • Maker Innovation Space, with curriculum and design support from Arizona State University (ASU) and USAID

Laboratories Across BINUS Campuses

BINUS University also provides a wide range of laboratories that can support interdisciplinary activities across campuses.

BINUS @Kemanggisan (Syahdan and Anggrek)

  • International Relations Lab
  • Human Integrated System Lab
  • Interior Design Lab
  • Mass Communication Lab
  • Photography Lab
  • Digital Industry Laboratory (Industry 4.0)
  • Accounting Lab
  • Architecture Lab
  • Circuit & Electronics Lab
  • Visual Communication Design Lab
  • Software Laboratory Center (SLC)

BINUS ASO School of Engineering (BASE)

  • Expression Technique Laboratory
  • Monozukuri Laboratory
  • Three-dimensional Design Laboratory
  • Physics Laboratory
  • Computer Laboratory
  • Human-Integrated Laboratory

BINUS @Alam Sutera

  • Multimedia Laboratory (Green Screen)
  • Civil Engineering Lab
  • Digital Creative Hub

BINUS @Malang and Medan

  • Mac Lab
  • Content Production & Incubator
  • AI Lab
  • iMac Lab
  • Creative Class

Additional Facilities

Additional interdisciplinary-supporting facilities include:

  • Building Information Modeling (BIM) Laboratory
  • IS Laboratory Teaching Assistants support system

Together, these facilities provide physical environments intentionally suited for interdisciplinary science research teams.

Interdisciplinary Research in Education and Student Development

BINUS University continues to maintain and strengthen its commitment to multidisciplinary research across student, faculty, and institutional activities.

Students are consistently encouraged to pursue thesis and scientific projects that go beyond a single discipline. This helps them develop broader perspectives, stronger collaborative capabilities, and greater readiness to address complex real-world issues.

BINUS University also continues to organize multidisciplinary exhibitions and showcases, including:

  • thesis expos
  • scientific article expos
  • research expos
  • innovation expos

These activities help highlight collaborative achievements, encourage participation, and increase awareness of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research among students and faculty members.

Compared with previous years, this sustained commitment has contributed to stronger awareness and growing engagement toward interdisciplinary research across the university.

Career Recognition and Research Roles

BINUS University provides career-related structures that recognize interdisciplinary engagement.

Research Roles and Fellowships

Faculty members and researchers can contribute to Research Centers and Centers of Excellence through formal roles as well as research fellowship schemes. These structures create space for interdisciplinary work to be recognized as part of the university’s research and talent development ecosystem.

Diverse Faculty Profiles

BINUS University categorizes faculty members into:

  • functional faculty members
  • professional faculty members

Each category has different productivity weightings and expectations. Many professional faculty members come from industry backgrounds, which helps strengthen the connection between academic knowledge and professional practice while naturally supporting interdisciplinary and applied work.

Multidisciplinary Academic Units

BINUS University also has units that are multidisciplinary by design, such as the Character Building Development Center, which involves contributors from various disciplinary backgrounds. This reflects the university’s recognition that impactful academic work often requires collaboration across fields.

Innovation and Applied Impact

Interdisciplinary research at BINUS University is not limited to academic publication. It is also closely connected to innovation, societal application, and industry relevance.

This is reflected through:

For example, the Apple Developer Academy at BINUS has produced products and innovations through multidisciplinary teamwork, combining technology, design, business, and user experience perspectives.

This broader innovation ecosystem demonstrates that interdisciplinary work at BINUS University is designed to create impact beyond the classroom and the laboratory.

Closing Statement

BINUS University views interdisciplinary research as an essential foundation for academic excellence, innovation, and societal contribution. Through institutional policies, research groups, administrative support, physical facilities, innovation platforms, and student engagement, BINUS University continues to strengthen an ecosystem where collaboration across disciplines can thrive.

This ongoing commitment ensures that interdisciplinary research is not only encouraged, but also supported through concrete structures, measurable performance systems, and real opportunities for impactful collaboration.