IKN Authority Collaborates with Universities to Build Nusantara as a Growth Centre

The Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority is collaborating with universities to build IKN in parts of Penajam Paser Utara Regency and Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province, as a new growth centre in Indonesia. “IKN requires support from various parties, including universities,” said IKN Authority Secretary Bimo Adi Nursanthyasto on Wednesday when asked about the continuation of development in Sepaku, Penajam Paser Utara. Universities have an important role in preparing future talent, he continued, and in producing innovations relevant to development needs. The IKN Authority is therefore strengthening collaboration with four universities to support the development of IKN as Indonesia’s new growth centre. The cooperation is expected to serve as a platform for universities, particularly engineering faculties and other scientific fields, to be directly involved in the construction of Indonesia’s new capital city. “IKN can become a real place of learning for students as well as a collaborative space for developing various development solutions,” he said. “The IKN Authority also wants local residents to become part of IKN’s transformation; strengthening local human resource capacity is a shared focus with various partners, including universities,” Bimo Adi Nursanthyasto added. The cooperation established with the four universities includes the development of education, research, community service, human resource capacity building, and utilising IKN as a living laboratory for the advancement of science and innovation. The cooperation between universities and the IKN Authority, explained UNS Rector Hartono, is a strategic step to strengthen academic contributions to national development. The collaboration between the IKN Authority and universities, chimed in ULM Rector Ahmad, aims to provide the best contribution for IKN as the nation’s future centre of civilisation. Universities play a vital role in strengthening the mastery of science and technology, in accordance with IKN Authority Head Regulation Number 4 of 2026 concerning the Nusantara Capital City Education Roadmap 2025-2045, to drive innovation, enhance national competitiveness, and support Indonesia’s economic transformation.