Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, July 7, announced that the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-Bangalore) will establish an international campus in Indonesia, describing the initiative as a significant step towards strengthening India-Indonesia ties and expanding educational opportunities for students across the ASEAN region.
“We are going to establish a campus of India’s prestigious management institute, IIM Bangalore, in Indonesia, which will greatly benefit the youth across the entire ASEAN region,” Modi said during a joint press statement with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto after bilateral talks in Jakarta.
The announcement formed part of a broader package of bilateral agreements signed by India and Indonesia to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, telecommunications, startups, education, space, and healthcare. Modi described the initiatives as opening a “golden chapter” in India-Indonesia relations that would shape the 21st century.
The proposed IIM Bangalore campus will be established at the Singhasari Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Malang, East Java, and is intended to serve students from Indonesia as well as the wider ASEAN region. It is expected to strengthen academic exchange, executive education, research collaboration, faculty development, and industry partnerships, while extending IIM Bangalore’s management education model to international learners.
The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IIM Bangalore and the Singhasari SEZ on July 6 at Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs in Jakarta.
Under the implementation plan, IIM Bangalore will roll out its offerings in two phases. The first phase will focus on short-duration Executive Education Programmes (EEPs), while the second phase will introduce degree-granting management programmes, subject to regulatory approvals.
The Indonesia campus will offer executive education programmes tailored for senior leaders and professionals, with courses spanning management, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, global supply chains, climate and sustainability, and healthcare. Participants will also gain access to IIM Bangalore’s repository of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) through the SWAYAM platform.
The initiative also aligns with India’s broader strategy of internationalising its higher education institutions under the National Education Policy 2020. The Indonesia campus will be IIM Bangalore’s first overseas campus and follows the global expansion of other premier Indian institutions, including IIM Ahmedabad’s campus in Dubai and IIT campuses established abroad.
