Universitas Indonesia (UI) continues to expand its global academic diplomacy by establishing a partnership with Tsinghua University through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday (4/11) in Beijing. This marks the beginning of various collaborations between Indonesian universities and a top twenty university in the world.
Previously, UI signed a cooperation agreement with Peking University, ranked 14th globally. UI is now partnering with Tsinghua University, ranked 17th in the QS World University Rankings. UI Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, emphasized that the partnership goes beyond student and faculty exchange, extending to concrete joint research and technological development.
The signing of the MoU affirms UI’s commitment to strengthening its role in global education and research diplomacy. According to Prof. Heri, this step not only provides academic benefits but also serves as a strategic move in advancing Indonesia’s knowledge-based economy. UI aims to be a catalyst for national progress through research innovation, technological collaboration, and tangible global partnerships.
“This partnership reinforces the longstanding relationship between the two universities. In the past five years, 39 international scientific articles have been produced through UI-Tsinghua research collaboration. With this MoU, we will deepen our cooperation and open new opportunities, especially in frontier research and future-oriented innovation,” said Prof. Heri.
As part of the collaboration, Tsinghua will become UI’s strategic partner for double degree programs, similar to UI’s ongoing partnership with the University of Melbourne, ranked 19th globally. To support this, Prof. Heri invited Tsinghua professors and researchers to serve as guest lecturers in UI’s international programs.“To foster collaborative research, UI is offering seed and matching research grants for researchers working with colleagues from Tsinghua,” said Prof. Heri.
In addition, in 2026, UI will host the International Conference on Smart City Innovation, involving two faculties from Tsinghua, the School of Architecture and the School of Environment, as co-organizers and scientific partners.
During the visit, the UI Rector also inaugurated a UI-Tsinghua collaboration on the development of an mRNA-based dengue vaccine, involving cross-institutional cooperation within Indonesia, including the National Agency for Drug and Food Control (BPOM).
The Head of BPOM, Prof. Taruna Ikrar, was present and delivered a public lecture at Tsinghua, demonstrating the Indonesian government’s full support for the vaccine development, from planning stages to clinical trials.
Beyond health, the UI-Tsinghua partnership will also focus on sustainable technology and clean energy. Both universities will strengthen collaboration between Tsinghua’s Institute of Carbon Neutrality and UI’s Net Zero Initiative to develop research on carbon neutrality, sustainability, and environmentally friendly technologies.“Developing sustainability-based technology is a key priority for both universities. Academia must play a role in advancing energy transition and green innovation,” said Prof. Heri.
