The Australia-Indonesia Centre

16/09/2026

The Rebana Metropolitan Region is a growing economic corridor in one of Indonesia's most populated areas. And the Australia-Indonesia Centre is leading a program to find ways to collaborate on its growth ambitions.

Spanning seven districts on Java and home to ten million people, Rebana is a designated national hub which is attracting large-scale manufacturing investment. It's also a base for an international airport and a deep-sea port.

Growth at this scale brings substantial energy and infrastructure challenges, just some of the areas where the AIC sees potential for collaboration between the two countries.

Learn more about our Powering Rebana program in partnership with Monash Energy Institute, CSIRO, Monash University Indonesia, RACE for 2030 InstitutTeknologiBandung (ITB) and working with Rebana management and Indonesian state electricity utility PLN.

Read our analysis of the Rebana region and opportunity for Australian collaboration.

https://australiaindonesiacentre.org/aic/supporting-a-key-urban-and-industrial-zone-in-indonesia-through-powering-rebana/

09/09/2026

We were pleased to participate in the IndOz 2026 conference, embracing this year's theme: "Beyond Dialogue, Making Deals." 🤝🇦🇺🇮🇩

Our Indonesia Director KevinEvans led a panel discussion on the vital food and agribusiness sector and where the two nations can work together to encourage investment.

"I had a fantastic panel of experts raising important issues for business to strengthen the investment environment, from regulations in supply chains, skilled labour and biosecurity cooperation."

We know from our long-standing work in the seaweed industry that there are opportunities, specifically where research can spark ideas and support business pathways.

A great opportunity to connect with AIC friends and key stakeholders and a big thank you to organiser David Widjaja for the invitation.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise The University of Queensland Indonesian Ministry of Industry and Downstream Investment

08/09/2026

📢 *RWAC — PAIR TALENT ACCELERATOR PROGRAM 2026 STARTS TODAY!*

Welcome to Researchers Working Across Cultures (RWAC), part of the Australia–Indonesia Centre's PAIR Talent Accelerator Program.

🎯 Cultural Intelligence in Practice: Collaborating Confidently Across Countries, Institutions and Disciplines

To everyone already enrolled — happy learning! 🎉 Stay curious, ask questions and embrace the differences you meet along the way. Every new perspective is a chance to become a better collaborator.

18/08/2026

🇦🇺🤝🇮🇩 Turning deep bilateral partnerships into grassroots action!

We just capped off an incredible PAIR Sulawesi Annual Meet in Makassar! Here is a look at what happens when you bring together 19 universities, leaders from six provinces and top government officials from Australia and Indonesia. 🌍

Our 14 research teams are tackling some of the biggest shared challenges by translating knowledge to find practical solutions for policymakers, including:
🌱 Boosting farmer incomes through seaweed industry innovations
🏥 Paving the way for climate-resilient health facilities in remote areas
⚡ Navigating the green energy transition

This is what binational collaboration looks like!

🔗 Read our full article to explore the outcomes and next steps: https://australiaindonesiacentre.org/aic/forging-a-shared-future-at-the-pair-annual-meeting-in-makassar/

14/08/2026

The Australia-Indonesia Centre is working with three mid-career energy professionals from Indonesia to find ways to ensure clean energy systems are integrated into a large regional economic zone.

Julian, Arif and Rizki work at Indonesia's state-owned electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), and are pursuing their master's at Monash University in order to support Indonesia's energy transition.

They're collecting evidence and identifying practical pathways to support the Rebana Metropolitan Region, in West Java, so that it has reliable, affordable and low-emissions energy systems. This region of 10 million people has exciting potential as Indonesia's hub for advanced manufacturing, battery industries, data centres and other future industries.

The AIC, together with a range of partners such as Monash Energy Institute and CSIRO, are developing a multi-year program to support sustainable development and industry investment in Rebana. We'll have more to tell you soon!

07/08/2026

We were joined by very special guest Najwa Shihab at the opening of our Annual Meeting for our major research program - PAIR - in Indonesia.

Click on the link :)

https://youtu.be/h1WZ8oqromY

05/08/2026

Our research program, known as PAIR, calls on a panel of experts to ensure the work being done can make a change in local communities, across six Indonesian provinces.

Those experts met recently, for the first time, at our Annual Meeting in Makassar, including Prodita Sabarini from .

It was this media leader's first exposure to the PAIR program and she's written a piece on the value she thinks the research can bring, particularly in the blue economy. We did not ask for this! But think it beautifully captures the spirit of the research work and the genuine intent by our partner universities across both countries.

A research program is narrowing Indonesia’s research-policy gap in Sulawesi. But the island’s blue economy vision is colliding with Jakarta’s nickel ambitions.

31/07/2026

Lebih dari 200 peneliti, perwakilan pemerintah, dan komunitas masyarakat berkumpul di Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, dalam PAIR Annual Meeting 2026, dengan banyak di antaranya bertemu secara langsung untuk pertama kalinya.

Kami merasa terhormat dapat menyambut kehadiran Direktur Jenderal Riset dan Pengembangan, Fauzan Adziman, yang menyampaikan pentingnya semangat kerja sama serta nilai riset yang mampu menghasilkan solusi nyata bagi masyarakat.

Lebih dari sekadar rangkaian presentasi, pertemuan tahunan ini berfokus pada dampak nyata bagi masyarakat. Selama empat hari, kami mengeksplorasi bagaimana kolaborasi riset Indonesia-Australia memberikan manfaat langsung bagi komunitas, mulai dari menciptakan sumber penghidupan baru melalui budidaya rumput laut hingga merancang sistem yang tangguh terhadap perubahan iklim serta fasilitas kesehatan yang lebih ramah lingkungan.

Program Partnership for Australia–Indonesia Research, atau PAIR, merupakan inisiatif bersama Pemerintah Australia dan Pemerintah Indonesia yang melibatkan 19 universitas di kedua negara yang dikelola oleh Australia-Indonesia Centre. Terima kasih yang sebesar-besarnya kepada Prof. JJ atas dukungan dan bimbingannya yang berkelanjutan dalam mendukung kemitraan ini.

30/07/2026

More than 200 researchers, government officials and community leaders gathered at in Makassar for the PAIR Annual Meeting, many meeting for the first time!

Beyond the presentations, this summit was about real-world impact. Across four days we explored how our collaborative research between Indonesia and Australia is directly helping communities—from creating new income streams through seaweed farming, to designing climate- resilient systems and greener health facilities.

As Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Roderick Brazier , and Australian Consulate-General, Makassar, Sulawesi for Australia in Makassar Todd Dias highlighted, this flagship initiative is not just about the quality of the research, but also the deep bilateral partnerships driving it forward.

The Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research program, or PAIR, is jointly supported by the governments of Australia and Indonesia, involving 19 universities across both countries and managed by the Australia-Indonesia Centre.

15/07/2026

Meet Dr Donna Okthalia Setiabudi, one of the Sulawesi women researchers from Universitas Sam Ratulangi in , North Sulawesi.

Her research reveals that public health clinics in coastal areas of North Sulawesi and are ready to adopt more energy management practices to support the Net Zero transition. However regulatory clarity and stronger support from local governments are still needed.

Through her research, Dr Setiabudi and her team are providing scientific evidence and recommendations to help inform future policymaking.

For Dr Setiabudi, the PAIR Sulawesi program - which is co-funded by the Australian Government (Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and the Indonesian Government (Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi, Sains, dan Teknologi and LPDP Kementerian Keuangan RI) also provides an equal opportunity for women researchers across Eastern Indonesia to collaborate internationally. She believes the experience strengthens scientific confidence, expands research networks, and helps build a more inclusive research ecosystem.