Research and Innovation at a Crossroads
Realizing the Science and Innovation Ecosystem is not easy and it takes time. However, this is a prerequisite for Indonesia to progress.
Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani (right), delivered his speech for the closing of the session period IV for the 2020-2021 Session Year at the 16th Plenary Meeting of the IV Session Period for the 2020-2021 Session Year at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Friday (9/4/2021).
A plenary meeting (9/4/2021) of the House of Representatives approved President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo\'s request via letter No. R-14/Pres/03/2021 on the consideration of changing the ministries.
The result: Apart from establishing the Investment Ministry, a part of the duties and functions of the Research and Technology Ministry (Kemenristek) are merged into the Education and Culture Ministry (Kemendikbud) to become the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry (Kemendikbud-Ristek). Meanwhile, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), which had been integrated with the Research and Technology Ministry, will become an autonomous body.
The execution? Just waiting for the President\'s announcement.
Indeed, since its establishment, the ministry that handles research affairs has changed several times. First, it was the National Research Affairs Ministry (1962), then it became the State Ministry for Research (1973), the State Ministry for Research and Technology (1986), the Research and Technology Ministry (2004), the Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry (2014), the Research and Technology Ministry/National Agency for Research and Technology (2019) and then it was finally liquidated (2021).
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Liquidated? Yes. Because practically, the merging of research and technology functions into the Education and Culture Ministry means that there is no longer a ministry that specifically handles research matters. Moreover, the number of ministries is limited at only 34 by the State Ministry Law. The Research and Technology Ministry seems to have been "sacrificed" for the sake of the Investment Ministry.
Dynamics
Since the downfall of the New Order, the discourse on science and technology has practically been absent from the public sphere.
Some have responded positively to this development, while some are less optimistic — if not pessimistic or even cynical. Understandable: The roots may be that these changes indicate the absence or weakness of the government\'s vision for the role of research and innovation in development. The exception, perhaps, was only when BJ Habibie became Research and Technology Minister in the New Order era.
Then, since the downfall of the New Order, the discourse on science and technology has practically been absent from the public sphere. Even in the development plan from the Reform Era until 2014 (meaning since president Gus Dur, Megawati and then Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono), research, science and technology — and then innovation — have never really become a priority. What exists is only a change in the nomenclature of the ministries.
This situation also remained relatively unchanged until President Jokowi\'s administration. In fact, when the Working Cabinet was formed, there was great optimism when the function of higher education was integrated into the Research and Technology Ministry. This step was deemed appropriate to re-mainstream research, technology and innovation, which are substantially closer to higher education. Moreover, the President\'s plan to advance Indonesia through the Nawacita (nine-point plan) and Indonesia\'s 2045 vision requires research and innovation.
However, perhaps this hope is too big to be supported by the realities of our research and innovation governance. The journey of research was increasingly determined by ad hoc-ism — all of a sudden, all in a hurry, impulsive, not based on plans, let alone strategy. The National Research Priorities (PRN) and the National Research Master Plan (RIRN) were never really used as a reference. As a result, the Research and Technology, Higher Education Ministry (Kemenristek-Dikti) also experienced difficulties.
Therefore, in the second term, President Jokowi returned the affairs of higher education to the Education and Culture Ministry, while the Research and Technology Ministry was combined with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the formation of which was mandated by Law No. 11/2019 on the National System of Science and Technology (Sisnas Iptek) to become the Research and Technology Ministry/BRIN. BRIN was expected to be the conductor of all research and innovation for development.
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However, up to 16 months after the Onward Indonesia Cabinet was inaugurated, the Research and Technology Ministry/National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has never had a real structure. The rumor was that it was being held hostage by political interests that wanted a steering committee and a massive structure, which could not be fulfilled as long as BRIN was still united with the Research and Technology Ministry. So, the President\'s move, which was supported by the House to separate the Research and Technology Ministry from BRIN, dissolved the Research and Technology Ministry by merging it with the Education and Culture Ministry and making BRIN an autonomous body, seemed to prove and confirm the rumor.
For those who truly understand the role of research and innovation in development, this step is very difficult to accept and makes no sense. Obviously, this is the political way out. But of course, we know, even though they cannot be separated from politics, research and innovation are first and foremost not about politics. Therefore, rather than lamenting this decision, it is better to think about the consequences and implications so that they can be anticipated and if necessary, their impact be mitigated.
Consequences and challenges
The principle of managing these consequences and implications is to ensure that the governance of research, science and technology and innovation is developed and running well. From a public policy perspective, this governance requires a separation between policy and implementation. From here, at least two consequences can immediately be seen.
First, the research and innovation policy function that used to be in the Research and Technology Ministry now becomes the responsibility of the Education and Culture-Research and Technology Ministry. The most urgent task is actually completing the derivative regulations for the Law on National System of Science and Technology (Sisnas Iptek), the deadline for which is August. The next task is to organize policies to orchestrate research and innovation as the backbone of development.
Indeed, the research and innovation of President Jokowi\'s various national priorities and legacy plans must be strategically arranged. Starting from infrastructure, the new capital city of the nation and the Red-White and Nusantara vaccines, to road maps for electric vehicles and bureaucratic reform. There might be much more. But the most important thing is to ensure through policies that research and innovation are well-planned and have a strategy; not at random, let alone improvised, simply because of wanting them to proceed quickly.
Here, the heaviest task rests on the shoulders of the Education and Culture-Research and Technology Ministry. Perhaps only in this country is there a ministry with such a broad policy responsibility: from upstream (early childhood education, primary, secondary education and cultural-character building) to downstream (vocational, higher education, research, technology, and innovation). It seems that the President needs to think about how all these policies are managed by the Education and Culture-Research and Technology Ministry. Because the risk is that education, research and technology and innovation may run half-heartedly, or even fall apart.
Second, the function of implementing research and innovation must be the focus of BRIN, which according to Law No. 11/2019, is to carry out research, development, assessment and implementation, as well as integrated invention and innovation. Therefore, the most urgent thing is to immediately arrange the BRIN’s organization, which since its establishment through Presidential Decree No. 74/2019 has not been completed.
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The challenge is big, because, according to the plan, all non-ministerial government agencies (LPNK) on research and technology, such as the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (Lapan), the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) and the Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency (Bapeten), as well as research and development (R&D) units in ministries and institutions will be integrated into the BRIN in accordance with Article 48 of the Law.
This challenge needs to be addressed immediately because the structure of the BRIN must be established so that it can operate. This structure must reflect professionalism and accommodate the interests of research and innovation. For example, the organization must be agile and the deputies must be research and innovation professionals from their fields, not just civil servants, and the coordination mechanism must be effective. This is important because the BRIN will be the "home" for researchers, academics, scientists and innovators in this country.
Remember, the BRIN is the executor. So, do not ever add policy functions to the BRIN for any reason. For example, the excuse is that there are too many policies at the Education and Culture-Research and Technology Ministry or because of the possibility of establishing a steering committee that is widely discussed. Because combining policies with implementation and supervision violates the principle of good governance and is prone to abuse of power.
Apart from the question of role, the challenge that lies ahead is administration. Learning from the merger or formation of new ministries/agencies so far, it will take time to organize the budget and the organizational structure and work procedures (SOTK). The Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP), the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) and even the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry took more than a year before they could fully operate.
The fate of the Education and Culture-Research and Technology Ministry and the BRIN will likely not be much different. The merger of the Research and Technology Ministry into the Education and Culture Ministry will certainly have long organizational consequences. In addition, the integration of non-ministerial government agencies on research and technology and research and development (R&D) units in ministries and agencies to BRIN is also not easy.
This situation must be anticipated from now on, in order to avoid a vacuum in the governance of research, technology and innovation that will have impacts not only on researchers, scientists and innovators, but also the entire performance of domestic research and innovation.
Research and innovation are not only central to mitigating the current pandemic and recovering the economy, or realizing President Jokowi\'s political vision, but the key to achieving the dream of an advanced Indonesia. The President himself, if necessary, must ensure that the budget and organizational structure and work procedures (SOTK) of the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry (Kemendikbud-Ristek) and the BRIN are completed this year so that they can work immediately.
Science ecosystem
Throughout 2020, the Research and Technology Ministry/BRIN, the National Development Planning Ministry/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB) Ministry involved more than 15 ministries/agencies (including the Education and Culture Ministry) to prepare and finalize the Science and Innovation Ecosystem (EPI, 2020) Blueprint.
This blueprint is not a public policy document and has no legal status, but it has been approved to be a reference for the government in developing the EPI. And it was decided that this blueprint would be implemented in 2021 and be commanded by the Research and Technology Ministry/BRIN with the support of the National Development Planning Ministry/Bappenas and the PAN-RB Ministry.
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The main argument of this blueprint: The only way to realize Indonesia\'s 2045 dream is to transform the economy from a commodity-based economy to an economy based on science and innovation, and that is done by building the Innovation Ecosystem Blueprint. This is also in line with President Jokowi\'s direction.
Realizing the Science and Innovation Ecosystem is not easy and it takes time.
Therefore, together with Bappenas and the PAN-RB Ministry, the Education and Culture-Research and Technology Ministry and BRIN can become "new-but-old" commanders for the implementation of the Science and Innovation Ecosystem Blueprint, as well as making it one of the references for organizing research and innovation in the country. Because if realized well, the Science and Innovation Ecosystem will not only increase the nation\'s competitiveness through the commercialization and downstreaming of research and innovation, but public policies will also be of higher quality because they are made based on evidence and science. The quality of civil servants and the performance of government institutions will improve because the capacity of the state is increasing.
Indeed, realizing the Science and Innovation Ecosystem is not easy and it takes time. However, this is a prerequisite for Indonesia to progress.
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YANUAR NUGROHO
History has already been written. Maybe we are at a crossroads: it is not known yet what kind of decisions about research and technology and innovation will be remembered by our children and grandchildren later. What we know is that a great country will survive with science; without it, it will disappear as it will be swallowed by time. Hopefully this decision does not mark the end of the state\'s support for research and innovation. The spirit of our researchers and scientists must continue to be cared for so as not to stop loving this country and to continue working through science and innovation.
Yanuar Nugroho, Advisor at the Centre for Innovation Policy and Governance; member of ALMI; visiting senior fellow, ISEAS Singapore; deputy II to the chief of the Presidential Office 2015-2019.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
