EU Seeks Stronger Partnerships with Indonesian Universities

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The European Union has invited Indonesian human resources to take advantage of various research and innovation programs offered by universities across the EU. 

The European Union Ambassador to Indonesia, Denis Chaibi, made the remarks while opening a seminar titled “The European Union and the University Partner Network” on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in Jakarta.

“The European Union has a program called Horizon Plus, which is open to universities around the world that are interested in applying. We are very keen to expand Indonesia’s participation in this program, as Indonesia has unique expertise in many areas that we consider important for global issues,” Ambassador Denis said, as quoted by Antara.

He explained that the European Union is very open to inter-university research cooperation, particularly in the area of sustainability. Interested universities even have the opportunity to submit joint research proposals.

“Indonesia has significant geothermal potential and solar energy potential. We want to develop partnerships between Indonesian and European universities. But to do so, we need to have joint research proposals,” Denis added.

He said, this shared objective also lies at the heart of the seminar, held from January 26-27, 2026, in Jakarta. He expressed hope that participants would explore potential cooperation and collaboration.

“To some extent, that is the core of this event, about building networks, where Indonesian universities can find more opportunities to collaborate with European Union universities,” he emphasized.

Denis assessed that the potential for research cooperation with Indonesia is highly promising, supported by abundant natural resources and human capital. He also noted that Indonesian human resources are digitally literate, energetic, and supported by a strong pool of capable students.

“So, what we want is to develop research in any field that can bring economic growth to Indonesia from a sustainability perspective. We can have research programs in all areas, but they can be made more competitive through better partnerships with universities,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Director of Public Diplomacy at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ani Nigeriawati, revealed at the same event that research and development have also become a focus of the Indonesian government in fostering relations with partner countries, including EU member states.

“Currently, the Indonesian government has a program called Sekolah Unggul Garuda, or SUGAR. Graduates of SUGAR, in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also part of the team, are channeled to the best and leading universities in the world,” Ani said.

The Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) has also opened opportunities for joint research among universities. The IEU-CEPA, agreed upon in September 2025, allows for the possibility of increased innovation between the two regions. (Diffa Sephiawardhani/Sri Wahyuni)