In a major boost to bilateral relations and regional academic integration, India and Indonesia have finalized a series of landmark agreements aimed at expanding cooperation in technology, education, and innovation. The cornerstone of these pacts is the establishment of an overseas campus of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) in Indonesia, marking a significant milestone in India’s efforts to project its educational capabilities across Southeast Asia. The agreement was formally announced following high-level delegation talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta. Addressing a joint press conference, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that the new institution would not only serve Indonesian students but also create opportunities for youth across the broader Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. The high-profile bilateral engagement served as the opening leg of the Prime Minister’s three-nation diplomatic tour, which also includes visits to Australia and New Zealand. The proposed campus will be situated in the Singhasari Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Malang, East Java. Designed to strengthen leadership and management capabilities in the region, the campus will roll out its offerings in a phased manner. Initial operations will focus on high-impact executive education programs tailored for senior leaders and government officials, followed by degree-granting management curricula focused on emerging domains like artificial intelligence, global supply chains, and digital transformation. Beyond management education, the two democracies executed comprehensive frameworks to deepen cooperation across technology, telecommunications, and digital public infrastructure (DPI). Highlighting the shared demographic dividend of both nations, Prime Minister Modi noted that joint efforts will focus on nurturing young talent through startup exchanges, telecommunications development, and shared digital platforms designed to drive economic growth in the 21st century. The bilateral talks also expanded into other vital sectors, including healthcare, space research, and sustainable agriculture. Among the signed accords were memorandums of understanding between healthcare regulatory bodies to streamline access to affordable medical products and expand joint fellowship programs for medical professionals. Additionally, both sides pledged to advance long-standing space research initiatives through joint technology development and capacity-building measures. Following the footprint set by IIM Ahmedabad’s campus in Dubai, alongside international offshore setups by IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi and IIT Madras in Zanzibar, IIM Bangalore’s move reinforces the vision outlined in India’s National Education Policy to position the nation as a global knowledge hub.
