After Two Decades of Partnership, UI and The University of Melbourne Expand Collaboration
Universitas Indonesia (UI) and The University of Melbourne have strengthened their two-decade partnership through the signing of a Student Exchange Agreement, undertaken by UI Rector Heri Hermansyah alongside a leadership delegation from The University of Melbourne in Melbourne on Monday, 13 July 2026. The signing marks an expansion of collaboration in research, innovation and global talent development.
The UI delegation was received by senior figures from The University of Melbourne, led by Interim Vice-Chancellor Glyn Davis, together with Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global) Frank Vetere, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Partnerships) Alastair Sloan, the deans, and the heads of units responsible for international cooperation and research. The meeting reviewed the achievements of the partnership to date and mapped out the direction of future cooperation across various strategic fields.
On this occasion, Heri Hermansyah said that sustainable international partnerships are one of UI’s strategies for raising the quality of education, strengthening the research ecosystem and broadening the global impact of innovation.
“The relationship between UI and The University of Melbourne has developed over more than two decades. We want to take this partnership to a higher level through ever closer collaboration in education, research, innovation and talent development. By combining the strengths of both universities, we hope to produce solutions that deliver real benefits to society,” said Heri.
The relationship between UI and The University of Melbourne has grown from academic cooperation into a comprehensive institutional partnership. Among the best-known forms of collaboration are the double degree and joint degree programmes offered at several UI faculties, including the Faculty of Computer Science (Fasilkom), the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), the Faculty of Medicine (FK), the Faculty of Dentistry (FKG) and the Faculty of Administrative Science (FIA). These programmes give students the opportunity to study at both universities and obtain degrees from each institution.
Collaboration has also developed at faculty level. UI’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) and The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Arts previously ran international collaborative classes between 2017 and 2019. Meanwhile, in 2024, FEB UI and The University of Melbourne marked two decades of partnership that has produced a range of programmes, from student exchanges and joint research to visiting fellows.
The synergy between the two universities has since expanded through research. Since 2021, UI and The University of Melbourne have collaborated on the Partnership in Research Indonesia and Melbourne (PRIME) programme, which focuses on strengthening research on maternal, child and adolescent health. That collaboration has grown into stronger research, innovation and academic partnership networks involving various institutions in Indonesia and Australia.
The partnership is all the more strategic given that The University of Melbourne is one of the finest universities in the world. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, the university placed 22nd globally while retaining its position as the best university in Australia. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, The University of Melbourne was the only Australian university to place in the world’s top 50 across all five broad subject areas, and it leads nationally in 22 fields of study.
The partnership with a university possessing such cross-disciplinary excellence opens up ever wider opportunities for UI to develop globally benchmarked education, research and innovation.
As part of strengthening the partnership, UI and The University of Melbourne signed a Student Exchange Agreement that broadens opportunities for students of both universities to take part in academic exchange programmes. The agreement is expected to further enrich students’ international learning experiences while strengthening academic networks between Indonesia and Australia.
The two universities also held a forum entitled Research Partnerships for Impact: Celebrating Success and Shaping the Future, bringing together university leaders, deans, researchers and research partnership managers. The forum provided a space to showcase each institution’s research strengths, evaluate existing collaborations and identify opportunities for multidisciplinary research capable of delivering real impact for society.
The deepening of this partnership reflects UI’s commitment to building collaboration with the world’s leading universities. Through cooperation built over more than two decades, UI and The University of Melbourne have now entered a new, more integrated phase of collaboration.
Both universities are working to produce knowledge and innovation capable of raising the quality of higher education whilst making a tangible contribution to addressing global challenges. (*)