- UK universities, led by Queen Mary, plan to establish a major international education hub in East Java’s Singhasari Special Economic Zone by 2026.
- The multi-institutional campus will offer programs in AI, engineering, climate science, law, and more, supporting Indonesia’s development and UK–Indonesia strategic ties.
- Backed by the UK government and British Council, the initiative will deliver hybrid education, research partnerships, and target 10,000 students at full capacity.
The gathering, convened on 30 May, united high-level leaders from these UK universities, the Indonesian Government, the UK Department for Business and Trade and the British Embassy in Indonesia, to promote the realization of a new international education hub within the Singhasari Special Economic Zone in East Java.
The proposed multi-institutional campus, to be spearheaded by Queen Mary in collaboration with Singhasari Special Economic Zone, is designed to advance Indonesia's economic and social development aspirations. It will specialize in artificial intelligence, engineering, material sciences, climate science, life sciences, international relations, finance, strategic leadership, creative industries and others.
British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste Dominic Jermey stated "The UK has world-class universities providing a broad variety of education and research capability. It is wonderful to see two top UK universities collaborating as a consortium, headed by Queen Mary University London with the University of Liverpool, meeting with President Prabowo Subianto, joined by King's College London, to help deliver driving educational excellence in Indonesia".
Education formed a major point of discussion during negotiations between President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at their London meeting last year. Both leaders agreed to strengthen and rejuvenate the UK-Indonesia relationship through a renewed strategic partnership. An important example of this partnership is the growth of educational programs in the Singhasari Special Economic Zone and across Indonesia, aided by the British Council's Going Global Partnerships program.
Queen Mary University of London Professor Helen Bailey, Vice-Principal International, cited the importance of the involvement:
"This conference was a critical step towards establishing a profound and long-lasting partnership with Indonesia. We are eager to collaborate with Indonesian colleagues, under the leadership of a UK Russell Group consortium, to create a new international model of place-based higher education — one that produces real-world benefit, inclusive growth, and enhanced connections between the UK and Southeast Asia".
In addition to the meeting, Queen Mary also made recent announcements regarding collaborations with Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Brawijaya to enhance student exchange programmes, collaborative research work and advancement in Comercial Law and other fields.
Universitas Indonesia's Professor Hamdani Faudzi added that it is expected to become a hub for universities in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
"We are pleased to be deepening our ties to Indonesia, following on from Liverpool's sister city relationship with Surabaya and historical links to East Java. This consortium model is a thrilling way for every UK university to bring its own distinct strengths to serve Indonesia's development agenda and look forward to collaborating in educating Indonesia's future stars, who will do wonderful things".
Negotiations are underway to increase the number of Russell Group universities within the consortium. The new campus, which is to open for programme delivery in September 2026, is targeting 6,000 students in Indonesia on undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive education programmes and up to 10,000 students when the campus is fully mature. Delivery will be via a hybrid model, incorporating visiting UK-based faculty and will permit joint research opportunities with Indonesian universities and industry partners.
