Indonesia-Britain Strengthens Cooperation In Strategic Research

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) and the British Government are trying to strengthen cooperation in the field of higher education and strategic research between the two countries.

This was realized through an honorary visit from the British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Dominic Jermey at the Ministry of Education and Technology Office, Jakarta, Thursday, May 8.

Ambassador Dominic, through a statement in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Saturday, May 10, said that Britain is committed to supporting the pillars of educational cooperation in the Indonesia-England strategic partnership that President Prabowo Subianto and the British Prime Minister agreed on on a recent visit to London.

"The relationship between higher education institutions and research from the two countries is strong. Now is the time for us to direct this collaboration to strategic areas highlighted by the Minister, such as food security, health, renewable energy, and maritime," he said.

Dominic also highlighted the existence of campuses in the UK that are starting to operate in Indonesia, such asition University in Bandung and King's College London in Malang, which will be inaugurated on May 28, 2025.

Several other leading British universities such as Queen Mary University and Imperial College London have also shown interest in opening joint programs in Indonesia.

Related to this, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mendiktisaintek) Brian Yuliarto through a statement responded positively to the opportunity and encouraged the formation of a joint research program with a co-funding scheme.

He also proposed the establishment of a research consortium involving Indonesian universities, foreign universities, and the national industry.

"We want research not to stop in the laboratory, but really be able to answer industrial needs. Therefore, collaboration with the business world is very important," he said.

Minister Brian also highlighted the importance of national and international collaboration to encourage the real contribution of universities to industry and the surrounding community.

He also emphasized the need to increase the number of lecturers with doctoral degrees in Indonesia. Of the 300 thousand lecturers in 4,400 universities, currently only about 25 percent have completed their doctoral program.

The Minister of Education and Technology continued that the government is pushing for an accelerated S3 program for lecturers and strengthening international cooperation-based master programs through joint degree and double degree.

Therefore, Minister Brian proposed the establishment of a short collaborative master program for executives from industry and the government, where teachers from Indonesian and British universities will provide material intensively, both online and offline.

"The president wants to produce leaders who have strategic capacity in the field of national economy and finance," said the Minister of Education and Technology.