Jakarta. Sweden's minister for higher education and research, Helene Hellmark Knutsson, is set to meet her Indonesian counterpart, Muhammad Nasir, in Jakarta on Wednesday (04/10) to discuss the possibilities for cooperation.

Knutsson's trip to Indonesia is a follow-up to the visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden in May.

"It is important for us to keep the momentum going by creating more initiatives," the Indonesian ambassador to Sweden and Latvia, Bagas Hapsoro, told reporters on Tuesday.

According to Nada Marsudi, public communications bureau chief at the Ministry of Technology, Research and Higher Education, Nasir and Knutsson are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on higher education, research and technology.

Nada added that Indonesia-Sweden cooperation in science and technology started in 2011, and includes exchange of scientists and joint workshops dedicated to tech entrepreneurship.

"We hope the visit of Minister Helene Knutsson will create a new momentum for the countries to continue to grow together, remembering that no country can move forward without developing its research and technology," Nada said.

The MoU will seek to expand the possibilities of joint research, unlike all previous models of cooperation that were focused on training and exchange.

According to Bagas, Indonesia still lags behind in research and technology, and can learn a lot from Sweden, whose products and innovations are well known across the globe.

Many Swedish companies, like digital start-ups such as Spotify and Skype or older companies such as Tetra Pak and Ericsson, lead in their respective fields.

Sweden is also well known for its triple helix model, which refers to cooperation between the government, the private sector and universities. The model has created a more conducive climate for innovation. Indonesia seeks to reproduce it.

According to a statement issued by the Embassy of Sweden, Knutsson will be accompanied by members of the Swedish Research Council and representatives of Swedish higher education institutions, including Karolinska Institutet, the Stockholm School of Economics and Lund University.

Sweden's ambassador to Indonesia, Johanna Brismar Skoog, said in the statement that with Indonesia shifting toward a more innovative economy, and its increasing interest in Swedish solutions and practices, cooperation in the field of higher education and research will be crucial.

Knutsson is going to give a public lecture at the University of Indonesia and meet students and representatives of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences and the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP).

After visiting Jakarta, she will continue her trip to Singapore, where she is going to meet with Singapore's Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung and visit Singapore's National Institute of Education and Nanyang Technological University.