THE Federal Government has launched a signature policy initiative which is designed to increase the number of Australian undergraduate students studying in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Colombo Plan, launched last December, supports Australian students to obtain new study and internship experiences in the four pilot destinations of Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.

Senator Brett Mason, said in Jakarta at the weekend, the plan aimed to provide Australian students with the opportunity to gain new competencies and the chance to expand their professional networks across the region

"The New Colombo Plan is about providing Australian university students with dynamic new opportunities to gain study and work experience in our region that will be relevant to their future careers as well as to understand the cultures of our neighbours and to build new friendships and contacts," he said.

"By achieving these outcomes at the individual level, we are laying the groundwork to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific more broadly in Australia, to strengthen our people-to-people and institutional linkages, and to create strong and enduring relationships with our neighbours."