Higher Education Technology Tender

Project Status ProposedSource of Funding Amount Loan higher education for technology and innovation projectOrdinary capital resources US 90.00 million In response to the governments vision and plan to strengthen the role of higher education as a skills and innovation driver the project will invest in two heis its in east java a leading public technological institution in indonesia specializing in science engineering and arts and unila in sumatra one of indonesias best public universities outside java in the field of medical education. The two heis are included in morthes priority investment list given their high level of readiness capacity commitment and potential to become top universities in specific specializations. Furthermore its has strong linkages with the private sector as they conduct rd relevant for enterprises in the manufacturing sector leading up to the creation of prototype and assessing their commercial viability. Support to its will strengthen its capacity to engage in demand-driven rd while creating positive spillovers among students and faculty. Support to unila reflects the governments focus on human capital development in light of 4ir within which health sector is prioritized as a high-growth industry and with direct benefits to citizens through health outcome improvement. The project will integrate advanced technologies in teaching and research expanding the two heis capacity to deliver market-relevant programs and high-quality research to support innovation. With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution 4ir new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence robotics internet of things and 3d printing technological transformation and innovation are taking place at a much faster pace reaching all sectors of the economy. But leveraging technological transformation for innovation and higher economic growth requires skilled and educated workers. Studies have shown that most new work in high-value and technology-driven sectors require high-level skills. The availability of skilled workers to meet the demands of high-tech and high-value industries and services in indonesia is critical in order to boost the countrys ability to achieve desired growth. Higher education institutions heis play a vital role in providing the highly skilled workers to meet labor market demands. However the current shortage of skilled professionals in high growth sectors and high unemployment of higher education graduates reflect a disconnect between heis on one side and firms employers and other skills and research users on the other. Half of the labor force is underqualified for the jobs they are performing while 10 of the labor force is overqualified. This disconnect is particularly prevalent in areas related to technology development and application and innovation. In 2017 less than 20 of graduates held degrees in technology-relevant fields such as engineering with few women among them