Jakarta, October 22, 2025 — The Europe Today: Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto has called on lecturers and academics across Indonesia to work together in enhancing the quality of higher education and research, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s vision of strengthening Indonesia’s global competitiveness in science and innovation.
Speaking at the launch of the Priority Research Program for the 2026 Fiscal Year in Jakarta on Tuesday, Minister Yuliarto urged stronger collaboration within the academic community, emphasizing that national progress in research and education requires collective effort and persistence.
“Let’s strengthen our research. The President said yesterday that someone must win a Nobel Prize in the next 20 to 30 years and be ranked among the world’s top 100,” Yuliarto stated. “As a large nation, we must not fall behind our neighbors. This is a matter of national pride.”
He stressed that collaborative research is essential to achieving Indonesia’s long-term goals, noting that cooperation among universities and researchers is common practice in developed nations.
“Let’s collaborate. To compete with Malaysia, which ranks 88th, and Singapore, which is in the top 20, we cannot work alone. We must work together,” he said, adding that academic partnerships can overcome limitations in resources and facilities.
“If we don’t have the necessary equipment, that should not be an obstacle. We can borrow it from other campuses,” he suggested. Yuliarto shared his own experience of reaching out to fellow academics abroad for assistance in using specialized equipment, emphasizing that “there are many ways if we are willing to try — the key is persistence.”
The minister’s call for enhanced cooperation follows President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to strengthen human resources in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The President has also tasked the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology with advancing Indonesia’s universities in global rankings.
Highlighting the recent achievement of the University of Indonesia (UI), which entered the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings for the first time, President Prabowo urged continued efforts to push UI further into the top 100, positioning it as a model for other leading universities such as the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), and the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS).
“For the first time, UI has entered the top 200 of the QS university rankings. But I ask the Minister of Education, Science, and Technology, and the deputy ministers, to push UI into the top 100. Is it possible? It must be possible,” President Prabowo said.
Minister Yuliarto concluded by reaffirming his ministry’s commitment to fostering academic excellence, innovation, and international collaboration, stressing that Indonesia’s path to global recognition in research and education depends on unity, persistence, and the collective pursuit of excellence across the nation’s higher education institutions.
