New Colombo Plan

Connect to Australia’s Future – Study in the Region

The New Colombo Plan offers Australian undergraduates new opportunities for prestigious scholarships and grants for study and internships/mentorships in the Indo Pacific region.

The New Colombo Plan in Indonesia

The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region.

The New Colombo Plan is intended to be transformational, deepening Australia’s relationships in the region, as well as ensuring a more regionally-aware Australian workforce for the future.

Indonesia was one of four locations agreeing to participate in the 2014 pilot phase and more students have been supported to date to study in Indonesia than any other country under the New Colombo Plan. In its first four years (2014-2017), the program is supporting over 3,000 Australian undergraduates to study and undertake work-based experiences in Indonesia.

23 of these undergraduates have been awarded prestigious “NCP Scholarships”. They will all study Bahasa Indonesia as part of their scholarship. These Scholars are undertaking New Colombo Plan experiences in Indonesia in a diverse range of fields, including law, health, environment studies, science, education, arts and language, business, tourism, urban design, agriculture and engineering, amongst others.

New Colombo Plan mobility students in particular visit a wide range of universities and locations in Indonesia. Examples of projects being supported in 2016 include:

Charles Darwin University is conducting an Eastern Indonesia Engineering Field Intensive with Universitas Gadjah Mada; Edith Cowan University is conducting a practicum project in cooperation with Sanglah Hospital in Bali; the University of Western Sydney is partnering with the Bali Sports Foundation; students from Deakin University will undertake semester-long study on Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science at Universitas Indonesia, and; Flinders University is conducting a program on Indonesian Education, Culture and Language Immersion at Pendidikan Universitas Indonesia.

Applications for NCP study in Indonesia must be made by Australian universities. Institutions in Indonesia wishing to be involved in the NCP should contact Australian universities in the first instance regarding the possible development of projects and opportunities.

NCP projects in Indonesia may involve study and practical experiences for students in a wide range of fields and organisations. The key requirement is that study projects must be for academic credit at the Australian students’ home university, or a compulsory part of their Australian degree. Study placements are agreed between the sending and receiving institutions. The Australian Government, Australian universities and Australian students will cover the costs involved in NCP study experiences in Indonesia.

How to Get Involved

More information on the New Colombo Plan is available online.