The Islamic Development Bank Group Regional Hub Indonesia, represented by its Project Management Specialist accompanied by the representatives from the Executing Agency, the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, conducted a monitoring and evaluation mission to the sites of the Development of Four Higher Education (HE) Institutions Project including University of Mulawarman in Samarinda (East Kalimantan), State University of Malang (East Java) and University of Jember (East Java) on 11-15 March 2019.

The Development of Four Higher Education Institutions Project aims to support the higher education strategy of the Government of Indonesia in improving national competitiveness through innovation in higher education. It will specifically improve quality, relevance, and competitiveness of HE through upgrading, equipping of existing and new facilities, curricula and staff development, strengthening research capacity, and incentivizing commercialization of innovation of existing HE Institutions, in supporting the four above-mentioned universities.

The mission visited the project sites and monitored the progress of the construction for civil works. Meetings were held with the Project Management Unit and Project Implementation Units to discuss different aspects of the project including the soft components (scholarships, research grants, etc.) as well as milestones and targets for the next phase. The mission found that the project is progressing well and expected to complete its civil works in one and half year.