The Deakin Lancaster Indonesia University (DLI) campus – first announced in January 2024 – officially opened in Bandung, West Java on February 26. Located an hour from Jakarta by high-speed rail, courses at the campus will begin in September, initially focusing on business and information technology.
It marks the first UK-Australian transnational education (TNE) venture in Indonesia, and means that students will be able to undertake dual undergraduate programs from Deakin and Lancaster Universities without having to leave their home country.
DLI’s inaugural rector Greg Barton said the partnership was a “testament to how international education can be both excellent and accessible”.
“Our new Bandung campus unites the best of British and Australian academic traditions, expertise and practice, to bring an exceptional international educational experience within reach in Indonesia,” he said.
Meanwhile, the vice-chancellors of Deakin and Lancaster hailed DLI’s launch as a milestone for two world-leading institutions joining forces.
Iain Martin, vice-chancellor of Deakin University, said that the campus would “see students empowered by a truly world class academic experience”.
Andy Schofield, vice-chancellor of Lancaster University, said the launch marked “a truly international celebration of what can be achieved when leading global universities combine their research excellence and teaching strengths to provide fresh new opportunities for growth”.
Our new Bandung campus unites the best of British and Australian academic traditions, expertise and practice
Greg Barton, DLI
In a post on LinkedIn, Lancaster University’s pro-vice chancellor Simon Guy said he was “delighted to bring five years work to fruition with the launch of our campus in Indonesia in partnership with Deakin University“.
And he said he was “grateful” to the venture’s TNE partner Navitas for helping to make the campus a reality.
Navitas’s CEO of university partnerships for Australasia, Malcolm Baigent, said the “landmark” partnership proffered “new possibilities” for TNE in the future.
“Kudos to the DLI team who have really brought this wonderful new campus to life,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
UK- and Australian-Indonesian government officials also welcomed DLI’s launch, marking it out as a way to “widen” Indonesian students’ access to education.
The British ambassador to Indonesia, Dominic Jermey, said that the UK – as a “global leader” in TNE – had been “proud” to support the DLI project since its beginning. “It is a great example of how the UK and Indonesia are strengthening collaboration on higher education, innovation and research,” he added.
Meanwhile, Australian Charge d’Affaires to Indonesia Gita Kamath stressed that education was “vital” to Australia’s relationship with Indonesia.
“Deakin University’s joint initiative with the UK’s Lancaster University will widen Indonesian students’ access to the international education experience, in line with the Indonesian government’s priority of advancing human capital development through education,” she said.
