KBRN, Jakarta: Indonesia moved to deepen higher education and research ties with Singapore on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, as officials discussed concrete collaboration mechanisms ranging from joint research to student and faculty exchanges.

The initiative was discussed during a meeting between Indonesian Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Brian Yuliarto, and Singapore’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Kwok Fook Seng, held in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The talks explored a wide range of collaboration opportunities, including student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects, human resource development, and cooperation in strategic areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), nanotechnology, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability.

Speaking in an official statement issued in Jakarta on Thursday, January 1, 2026, Minister Brian said Indonesia is eager to learn from Singapore’s experience in developing world-class universities and research ecosystems.

“We truly want to learn many things from Singapore, particularly in developing universities and research. We want our universities to continue growing and learning from leading institutions such as the National University of Singapore (NUS),” Minister Brian said, as quoted by Antara.

The minister emphasized that international cooperation must generate tangible impacts for Indonesia’s national development and strengthen the capacity of its higher education system. He also highlighted the importance of reinforcing vocational education and polytechnics as part of a more inclusive and impactful higher education ecosystem.

Ambassador Kwok welcomed Indonesia’s commitment and expressed Singapore’s readiness to further deepen its strategic partnership with Indonesia, particularly in higher education and research cooperation that delivers mutual benefits.

Both sides acknowledged that collaboration between higher education institutions in Indonesia and Singapore has already progressed well at various levels. The partnership is expected to expand further through people-to-people contact, including initiatives to encourage Singaporean lecturers and senior professors to serve as mentors and visiting professors at Indonesian universities, as well as the expansion of solution-oriented joint research.

The meeting also underscored the importance of student exchange programs that offer hands-on field experience. Singaporean students are encouraged to study in different regions of Indonesia, not only in major cities, to enhance contextual understanding, social empathy, and literacy about Indonesia’s social diversity and development challenges.

In addition, cooperation under the Singapore Cooperation Program (SCP) was highlighted as a key area of interest. The program is open to Indonesian partners and can be tailored to specific needs, including training programs conducted in Indonesia with instructors from Singapore.

The SCP initiatives are seen as aligned with Indonesia’s efforts to strengthen the capacity of civil servants, academics, and higher education practitioners nationwide. ***