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View all search resultsPrabowo courts top UK universities to open campuses in Indonesia
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London calling: President Prabowo Subianto (third left) meets on Jan. 20, 2026 with representatives of the Russell Group at Lancaster House in London. Also attending are British Council CEO Scott McDonald (left) UK Ambassador for International Education Sir Steve Smith (second left) Indonesian Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto (third right), and Office of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (second right) and Investment and Downstreaming Minister Rosan Roeslani (right) (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto is seeking to attract leading British universities to establish campuses in Indonesia as part of broader efforts to bolster education partnerships with the United Kingdom during his working visit to the country.
At a closed-door forum at Lancaster House in London, Prabowo formally invited representatives of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group, ranging from the University of Oxford to the University of York, to consider opening up to ten new universities in Indonesia. The forum was held shortly after Prabowo met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday.
“We want to invite [UK universities] to collaborate [with us], as they already have extensive partnerships with the University of Indonesia, Gajah Mada University and many other local universities,” Prabowo said after the forum, according to a video released by the Presidential Secretariat.
The President noted that several Russell Group universities already operate campuses in Indonesia, mainly focusing on digital and technology programs. One is King’s College London, which runs a small campus in Singhasari Special Economic Zone in East Java, near Malang.
“So we want to accelerate [this effort], we want to catch up. We must have the highest possible standard of education, on par with the best in the world,” Prabowo added.
Read also: Indonesia, UK to elevate ties to Strategic Partnership
He said the proposed universities would focus on medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and science and technology to help address Indonesia’s massive shortage of medical professionals. Prabowo cited data showing that the country still lacks around 140,000 doctors, while the number of medical graduates remains limited.
