Universitas Indonesia and Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Pioneer Advanced Research Synergies and Tech-Driven Academic Mobility

Universitas Indonesia (UI) recently welcomed a distinguished delegation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and IIT Gandhinagar to forge a dynamic, future-ready academic alliance. The strategic dialogue focused on accelerating cross-border technological research, developing interdisciplinary joint programs, and establishing robust mobility frameworks for students, faculty, and technology startups.

The delegation from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) included:

• Prof. Amit Prashant – Dean of External Relations, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
• Prof. Asish Garg – Head of the Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

The Universitas Indonesia delegation was represented by:

• Fadhilah Muslim S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., DIC – Director for Internationalization of Education
• Prof. Debora Eflina Purba, S.S., M.Si., Ph.D. – Director of Research Funding and Ecosystem
• Ir. Jaka Fajar Fatriansyah, M.Sc., Ph.D., ASEAN Eng., IPU – Head of the Sub-Directorate of International Education Development, Directorate for Internationalization of Education

During the comprehensive meeting, both institutions actively explored the implementation of the LPDP Fast Track 3+1+1 program, underpinned by mutual discussions on financial support structures. Faculty-specific advancements were a major highlight. UI’s Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) proposed vital curriculum adjustments to enhance existing Joint and Dual Degree (JD/DD) agreements and discussed developing joint short courses supported by the New Colombo Plan (NCP). Concurrently, the Faculty of Psychology outlined plans for Master’s level JD/DD programs, joint Ph.D. supervision, and collaborative conferences backed by dedicated seed funding.

The dialogue also expanded into broader research alignments targeting Adelaide’s key disciplines such as Artificial Intelligence, food security, health, and water management with potential cross-disciplinary involvement from UI’s Faculties of Engineering (FT), Public Health (FKM), and Computer Science (FASILKOM). To further support mobility, the institutions discussed potential fee reductions for single-degree study abroad programs.

The meeting concluded with a clear and actionable roadmap to formalize these initiatives. Both universities are targeting a high-level meeting in mid-July to officially sign the renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Student Exchange Agreement of Implementation (AoI). In the interim, targeted online follow-up meetings will be organized between Adelaide University and UI’s FEB and Faculty of Psychology to finalize the detailed operational and curriculum frameworks.

Photo Credit: Directorate for Internationalization of Education