Jakarta, 7 October 2025 — Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya held an audience with King’s College London to strengthen strategic cooperation in talent development and research in the creative economy, as well as support the growth of the Singhasari Special Economic Zone (KEK).
Dok. Biro Komunikasi Kemenekraf - Menteri Ekonomi Kreatif, Teuku Riefky Harsya, menerima audiensi dari King’s College London, Jakarta, Selasa (07/10/2025).
“We see collaboration with King’s College London as a major opportunity to strengthen the creative talent ecosystem in Indonesia. We hope this partnership will encourage knowledge exchange, research development, and education programs that are relevant to the needs of the national creative industry,” said Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky at the Ministry of Creative Economy office in Jakarta on Tuesday, 7 October 2025.
KEK Singhasari is one of the government’s initiatives to accelerate the growth of Indonesia’s digital creative economy. The area is being developed as a hub for innovation and cross-sector collaboration, including education, research, and the creative industry.
Communication Bureau of the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky welcomed the potential collaboration and emphasized the importance of synergy between academia, research institutions, and the creative industry in supporting Indonesia’s vision of making the creative economy a new engine of national growth starting from the regional level. He added that this collaboration aligns with the Ministry’s strategic framework Asta Ekraf, particularly in the Creative Talent cluster.
“We want to develop a wide range of collaboration models, not only at the postgraduate level, but also short professional training, applied research, and student and faculty exchange programs. Through this approach, young Indonesian talent can be directly exposed to real challenges in the field,” he added.
During the meeting, King’s College London expressed its commitment to supporting Indonesia’s priority agenda through education and research programs in the creative and digital economy. One of these is the MSc Digital Economies program, now entering its third cohort in September 2025, with participants from LPDP, state-owned enterprises (BUMN), and the Provincial Government of East Java.
Communication Bureau of the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
The program is managed by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, ranked 17th in the world according to QS World University Rankings, and recognized for its excellence in creative economy and gig economy research. Executive Dean of the Faculty and Director of Academic Indonesia Projects, Professor Simon Tanner, expressed hopes for practical and equitable collaboration moving forward.
“We are here as equal partners. We want to ensure that our academic programs are co-designed to match the needs of Indonesia’s creative workforce. We are also opening opportunities for joint research, collaborative doctoral programs, and the development of a Global Cultural Creative Industries curriculum aligned with Indonesia’s creative development agenda,” he noted.
Simon also highlighted the vast potential of Indonesia’s creative industries, which are projected to contribute around 8% to national GDP, higher than the global average of 3.95%. He added that King’s College has strong capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital ethics, supported by more than 20 senior researchers from multiple disciplines focusing on AI applications in social and cultural contexts.
Communication Bureau of the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
“We see Indonesia as an important partner in bridging research, technology, and culture within the global creative ecosystem,” he said.
This collaboration will also form part of the UK–Indonesia Growth Partnership Agreement, in which the creative and cultural industries are among the UK’s key priority sectors. King’s College is committed to serving as a knowledge bridge between the two nations to strengthen research and education capacity in the creative and digital economy.
Also attending the meeting from King’s College London were Associate Director of Operations for Indonesia Projects Suneeta Nathan, Chairman of King’s Singhasari Indonesia Foundation David Santoso, Secretary Nathania Limanto, and Creative Director Yurina Rahmanisa.
Communication Bureau of the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
From the Ministry of Creative Economy, attendees included Secretary of the Minister/Principal Secretary Dessy Ruhati; Deputy for Strategic Development of Creative Economy Cecep Rukendi; Expert Staff to the Minister for Research, Education, and Institutional Relations Dian Permanasari; Head of Creative Human Resource Development Center Siamwahyuni; Special Staff to the Minister for Strategic Issues and Inter-Institutional Relations Rian Firmansyah; and Strategic Issues Expert Gemintang Kejora Mallaranggeng.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Acting Head of Bureau of Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
