Collaborations between higher education institutions in the UK and Indonesia were fortified last month at the Science and Innovation Conference in Jakarta and the UK’s GREAT campaign was rolled out in the country, endorsed by the Duke of York.
The event marked a three-year engagement plan to encourage academic partnerships between the two countries and coincided with the campaign launch as well as an inaugural tour of the country for a delegation of Scottish universities.
The conference also promoted the Dikti Scholarship scheme that enables lecturers in Indonesia to study for their doctorate in the UK.
Sixty representatives from UK and Indonesian universities presented projects focusing on development in four areas: health, the environment, food security and renewable energy.
“It is anticipated that these projects will produce outcomes that will lead to innovative solutions to current challenges in these four areas in Indonesia,” said Sally Goggin, director of British Council Indonesia.
“The work that you are doing is going to make a huge difference to the discovery and movement of ideas across borders”
British Council Director Steve Buckle talks to delegates
Over the next three years, the British Council and its partners – the British Embassy Prosperity Team and the FCO Singapore Science and Innovation Network Team – will provide support and guidance to these projects, including a small amount of initial seed funding up for bids.
Eventually, organisers plan for each project team to source its own funding over the three years.
Fifteen project proposals were presented at the event including the University of Manchester, the Eijkman Institute and Gajah Mada University; Yogyakarta’s proposed novel strategies for Malaria treatment; and The University of Nottingham, BINUS University, and Crops for the Future Research Centre (CRFFC)’s Enhancing Crop Utilisation in Indonesia.
The conference coincided with the launch of the UK’s GREAT campaign in education to promote the UK as a study destination led by the Duke of York.
Closing the event, he said: “The work that you are doing in collaboration with the UK is going to make a huge difference to the discovery and movement of ideas across borders.”
Completing the week, a pioneer delegation of 12 Scottish universities, organised by Scottish Development International (SDI) in partnership with Universities Scotland and the British Council Scotland, embarked on a four-city tour of the country to meet with 55 possible partners.
“Indonesia has over 2000 universities, but the government is undertaking a massive investment in rejuvenating the system and raising educational standards,” said Jason Grant, SDI’s Singapore-based regional manager for southeast Asia. “Education is kind of new territory for us in the Indonesian market.”
