Yogyakarta, February 27 & March 9, 2026 — Multidisciplinary dialogue is more important today because the challenges we face are indeed complex, interconnected, and global in scope. Issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence, public health, socio-cultural and environmental justice, Asean youth and (un)employment, and economic inequality cannot be solved solo by one field alone. For instance, climate solutions require collaboration between environmental scientists, engineers, economists, and policymakers, while advances from companies like OpenAI raise not only technical questions but also ethical, legal, and social concerns. As technology evolves faster than regulation and cultural adaptation, open dialogue across disciplines ensures innovation remains responsible, balanced, and aligned with human values.
As a research center focusing on regional social studies, CESASS demonstrates this commitment to have more multidisciplinary engagement by actively learning from and collaborating with other fields. A team consisting of CESASS scholars, colleagues from the Geodetic Faculty, and representatives from the Vocational School of Universitas Gadjah Mada discusses issues surrounding the role of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in ASEAN member countries. Through this cross-disciplinary exchange, the team integrates social, spatial, and technical perspectives to better understand how TVET can support regional development, workforce mobility, and inclusive growth across the region. The team has also consulted with the Directorate of Research at Universitas Gadjah Mada and Directorate of Collaboration and Global Partnership to pursue potential follow-up initiatives and collaborative research opportunities.
Reporter: CESASS Team