Indonesia wants global technology companies to do more than sell products or invest money in the country. The government is seeking partnerships that will help Indonesia develop its own technology, strengthen domestic industries, and turn research into products that can compete in the market. President Prabowo Subianto has made this ambition a priority, with an emphasis on building the capabilities needed to create, master, and manufacture technology locally.
The direction was outlined by Brian Yuliarto, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, during the Danantara Technology Innovation Investment Forum 2026 (DTIIF) on Monday, October 26, 2026. Speaking on behalf of President Prabowo, Brian said Indonesia must use its natural resources and large domestic market as a foundation for long-term, sustainable prosperity.
“The President’s aspirations are very clear: Indonesia must be able to create technology, must be able to master it, and must be able to manufacture it,” Brian said.
Indonesia’s resource base and market size provide considerable opportunities for national industry. However, possessing abundant natural resources does not automatically guarantee lasting prosperity. Indonesia also needs the expertise, technology, and industrial capacity to process those resources and use them productively. According to Brian, this is why technology development must deliver practical benefits, from improving productivity and strengthening industrial operations to raising the incomes of Indonesian people.
Achieving these goals will require cooperation with international companies while building stronger capabilities at home. The government is therefore encouraging global technology businesses to work with Indonesian industry in science- and technology-based sectors, helping the country develop expertise rather than relying solely on imported solutions.
At DTIIF 2026, 67 global companies were present, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, IBM, ARM, Airbus, Boeing, Siemens, Schneider Electric, CATL, and Hitachi Energy. Their participation offers opportunities to explore partnerships across several industries, from semiconductors and digital infrastructure to aviation, manufacturing, and energy.
Brian delivered a direct invitation to these international participants, emphasizing that Indonesia wants investment to lead to local innovation and production.
“To the various international partners who have come here, the President’s invitation is simple: innovate in Indonesia, invest in Indonesia, and let us also manufacture in Indonesia,” he said.
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For the government, attracting capital is only one part of the process. Brian said the development of domestic suppliers and skilled workers is equally important. The government is encouraging research partnerships, human resource development, and efforts to help local suppliers meet international standards. These measures are intended to ensure that investment creates capabilities that remain in Indonesia and can support the growth of its industries over the long term.
“Let us measure success not only by the capital invested, but also by the capabilities we are building,” Brian said.
This approach also places greater importance on connecting research with commercial and industrial applications. Brian said President Prabowo had asked Danantara to link long-term investment with research activities and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The aim is to give promising innovations a clearer path from development to industrial-scale production.
Universities and research institutions can generate new ideas and technical discoveries, but those achievements need support if they are to become viable products. Closer cooperation with industry can provide researchers with access to testing facilities, financing, production capacity, and markets. Without these connections, promising research may remain at the discovery stage instead of creating economic value.
The President has therefore called for stronger working relationships between universities, research institutions, and industry. The objective is to establish a more effective path for promising discoveries to progress through testing and development, secure funding, enter production, and eventually reach customers.
Potential cooperation in semiconductors and digital infrastructure offers one example. Indonesian chip designers and artificial intelligence researchers could explore partnerships with international companies such as ARM, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services. Such collaboration could help connect local expertise with the resources and experience of established global technology businesses.
Similar opportunities exist in the energy sector. PLN, Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company, and domestic energy researchers could work with CATL, Siemens, Schneider Electric, and Hitachi Energy to develop smart electricity grids and clean energy technologies. These partnerships could bring together local research and international industrial capabilities to address energy challenges while supporting the development of more advanced domestic industries.
Brian stressed that these examples represent opportunities to be explored jointly, with Indonesia’s own needs serving as a starting point for innovation.
“All the examples above represent opportunities that we need to explore together. We should start by addressing the various challenges that exist in Indonesia and then build more modern industries,” he said.
This focus on practical challenges is also reflected in the government’s efforts to improve the environment for technology development. Brian said the government is working to remove unnecessary barriers and simplify administrative procedures for credible technology projects. Reducing avoidable bureaucratic burdens is intended to help innovators concentrate on developing their businesses, advancing their technologies, and finding solutions to industrial problems.
The forum is also expected to translate discussions into concrete partnerships. A total of 54 memorandums of understanding are scheduled to be signed at DTIIF 2026. Brian hopes these agreements will lead to actual implementation rather than remain formal commitments, with each partnership delivering results that can be assessed through measurable outcomes.
“Each of these agreements must result in concrete work and measurable outcomes,” he said.
The broader goal behind these initiatives is to build an Indonesian industrial ecosystem in which investment, research, skilled workers, local suppliers, and global partnerships reinforce one another. International companies can contribute technology and expertise, while Indonesian universities, researchers, businesses, and SOEs help adapt innovations to domestic needs and develop them for wider industrial use.
For Indonesia, the success of this strategy will depend on what happens after investment commitments are announced. Stronger research collaboration, more capable local suppliers, skilled human resources, and technologies that reach industrial production will be important indicators of progress. By linking international investment with domestic innovation and measurable results, the government aims to move Indonesia toward a future in which the country can not only adopt global technologies but also create, master, and manufacture technologies of its own.
