Bandung – The Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (FTMD) at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) welcomed a visit from Thales Group on Wednesday (8/7/2026) to discuss collaboration opportunities in education, research, and talent development. This meeting is a follow-up to communications facilitated by the Embassy and the International Relations Office (IRO) of ITB, focusing on strengthening the synergy between industry and academia, particularly within the FTMD ITB environment.

During the meeting, Thales Group was represented by Guilhem Garrel as Strategy and Marketing Manager – Indonesia; Yose Rakhmat as IS/IT Digital & Data Manager; and Dhimaz Galang as Business Development – Defense Mission System. The delegation was warmly received by FTMD ITB, represented by Dr. Eng. Ir. Gea Fardias Mu’min, S.T., M.T. and Dr. Eng. Ir. Firman Bagja Juangsa, S.T., M.Eng., to discuss various collaborative opportunities that could be developed between the two institutions.

In the discussion, Thales Group expressed its interest in building closer cooperation with FTMD ITB through various academic and professional activities. Some of the collaboration opportunities discussed included organizing guest lectures and industry insight-sharing sessions, internship programs for students of the Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering Study Programs, as well as the involvement of students and faculty in projects, research activities, and the development of technological innovations.

Beyond human resource development, Thales Group also showed interest in various research laboratories owned by FTMD ITB for potential long-term collaboration. This synergy is expected to strengthen the relationship between higher education and industry in producing innovations relevant to future technological needs.

The Thales Group representatives also introduced the company’s profile as a global technology firm with approximately 83,000 employees across 68 countries, maintaining a strong focus on Research and Development (R&D) in both civil and defense sectors, including aerospace technology.

In this context, both parties also discussed opportunities for joint collaboration with GMF AeroAsia in the fields of aerospace engineering, aircraft maintenance, research, and industrial technology implementation as a step toward building broader synergy between academia and industry.

As an initial step, both parties agreed to start the cooperation through activities oriented toward student development and strengthening academic relations, such as guest lectures, industry experience-sharing events, and internship programs. Moving forward, the cooperation is expected to expand into broader research collaborations, including innovation development opportunities in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and future technologies.

Through this meeting, FTMD ITB reaffirms its commitment to expanding its partnership network with global industry to enrich student learning experiences, strengthen the research ecosystem, and foster the creation of innovations capable of addressing future technological development challenges.