Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) will establish its first overseas campus in Indonesia, describing the initiative as a significant step in strengthening educational cooperation between the two countries and benefiting students across the ASEAN region.
PM Modi made the announcement during joint press statement with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta.
“We are going to establish an overseas campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore in Indonesia. This will greatly benefit young people across the ASEAN region,” the Prime Minister said.
The proposed campus will be set up at the Singhasari Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Malang, Indonesia, marking IIM Bangalore’s first international campus and a major milestone in the global expansion of India’s higher education institutions.
The initiative reflects the growing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Indonesia and aligns with India’s efforts to internationalise its higher education ecosystem under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which encourages premier Indian institutions to establish a global presence.
The Indonesia campus will build on the successful establishment of overseas campuses by IIM Ahmedabad in Dubai, IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi and IIT Madras in Zanzibar, further reinforcing India’s position as a global provider of quality and affordable education.
According to the Ministry of Education, the campus will strengthen academic collaboration, human capital development and knowledge partnerships between India and Indonesia while serving as a regional hub for management education in Southeast Asia.
The curriculum has been designed to prepare future business leaders by focusing on five emerging areas—global supply chains, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, climate and sustainability, and healthcare management. The programmes will also feature interactions with leading industry experts, renowned academicians and global thought leaders.
The project will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will begin with executive education programmes aimed at senior executives, business leaders and public sector professionals. Subject to the successful implementation of the initial phase over two years, the second phase will introduce full-fledged degree programmes.
The campus will be established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IIM Bangalore and PT Intelegensia Grahatama (PT IGT), the managing and development entity of the Singhasari SEZ.
Primarily intended for Indonesian students, the campus is also expected to attract participants from neighbouring ASEAN countries. Students will have opportunities to undertake short academic immersion programmes at the IIM Bangalore campus in India, providing exposure to the country’s innovation ecosystem, industry and entrepreneurial environment.
The initiative is expected to deepen the long-standing India-Indonesia partnership while positioning Indonesia as an important regional centre for world-class management education and reinforcing India’s commitment to expanding educational opportunities across the Global South.
