Following the signing of a strategic partnership with Tsinghua University on Thursday (6/11), Rector of Universitas Indonesia (UI), Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, took another visionary step in China by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huayou Group, one of the world’s largest nickel and cobalt industry players.
According to Prof. Heri, this marks a new era of university–industry partnerships in Indonesia.“For the first time, a higher education institution is not only collaborating within the framework of the Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi, education, research, and community service, but also serving as a host for the development of large-scale, strategic industrial research facilities physically located on campus,” he said.
Under this agreement, UI will provide the land and facilities for the construction of a research and applied development center, consisting of a teaching factory and an advanced smelter laboratory, which will be built by Huayou Group.
This metallurgical innovation facility will transform UI into a world-class applied R&D hub. UI researchers will be able to utilize it to develop downstream research and patents across the metallurgical industry chain, as well as to accelerate advanced materials technology for Indonesia’s growing battery industry.
The partnership between UI and Huayou Group demonstrates the Rector’s effectiveness in capitalizing on global networks. The collaboration became possible after UI formed an alliance with Tsinghua University (ranked 17th in the world), creating a “Golden Triangle” ecosystem—UI, Tsinghua, and Huayou.
In this framework, Huayou’s experts will receive education at Tsinghua University, conduct joint research at UI’s advanced facilities, and then apply their knowledge within Huayou’s industrial centers in Indonesia. This represents a concrete blueprint for developing highly skilled human resources.
Huayou Group has already established a strong presence in Indonesia. Over the past five years, it has invested USD 11 billion in developing cobalt and nickel smelters and battery recycling facilities, creating jobs for 20,000 Indonesian workers. Moving forward, Huayou has committed to investing over USD 20 billion in Indonesia’s refining industry.
The Rector’s success in securing a major industrial player as a strategic partner places Universitas Indonesia at the center of the nation’s industrialization and downstream development roadmap. In addition to research facilities, this collaboration also includes seven other strategic programs, such as scholarships, priority recruitment, joint research initiatives, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) cooperation, and tripartite projects (UI–China–Huayou).
