The LDE Indonesia Centre works at the intersection of research, education, and community empowerment. Within our education pillar, we facilitate programmes such as the interdisciplinary Future Challenges minor in Jakarta, a hands-on Thesis Lab in Kalimantan for MSc students, and the LDE–BRIN Academy for early-career researchers. These initiatives connect students and scholars from the Netherlands and Indonesia through real-world challenges and intercultural academic exchange.
Education
Education in Indonesia
Minor Future Challenges Lab
The Future Challenges Lab is an interdisciplinary minor programme coordinated by the LDE Indonesia Centre and offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Indonesia. It brings together students from Leiden, Delft, and Erasmus universities to co-create sustainable practices in and around the urban context of Jakarta.
Over the course of three months, students live and study in Indonesia, working intensively with peers, academics, NGOs, and institutional partners such as the Dutch Embassy, UNESCO, and the Asian Development Bank. The programme includes workshops, field visits, and team-based research projects focusing on real-world urban issues like mobility, climate adaptation, housing, and digitalisation.
Students work in multidisciplinary teams on a theme project and conclude the programme with a policy brief presentation to local stakeholders. This minor offers hands-on experience in international collaboration and urban innovation, with a strong focus on intercultural learning and societal impact.
🗓️ Next edition: August – December 2025 (registration closed)
📍 Location: Depok (Jakarta), Indonesia
Thesis Lab – MSc Field Research in East Kalimantan
The Thesis Lab is a field-based research programme for master’s students from Leiden, Delft, and Erasmus universities, organised by the LDE Indonesia Centre in collaboration with Mulawarman University in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. The Lab offers students the opportunity to conduct thesis research on-site, while engaging directly with local communities, landscapes, and development challenges in the Indonesian context.
The inaugural edition in 2025 involved MSc students from TU Delft’s Design Lab for Landscape-based Urbanism, who spent several weeks in Kalimantan exploring topics such as land use, biodiversity, spatial planning, and inclusive development around Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara (IKN). Supported by academic supervisors and local experts, students gained valuable hands-on experience in collaborative, real-world research.
The Thesis Lab strengthens academic exchange between LDE and Indonesian partner universities and encourages interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability and urbanisation in Southeast Asia.
🗓️ Next edition: Planned for 2026
📍 Location: Samarinda, East Kalimantan
🔗 Contact us for information on upcoming opportunities: lde@universiteitleiden.id