Jokowi to Build New Research Center

The government plans to build a research and innovation complex in theOne of the fundamental steps taken was to establish the National Research and Innovation Agency new capital city to be developed in East Kalimantan.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

President Joko Widodo delivers a speech at the opening of the Kompas 100 CEO Forum 2019 in Jakarta, Thursday (28/11/2019). The forum’s theme focuses on strategic discussions about the growing industry in Indonesia.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The government plans to build a research and innovation complex in the new capital city to be developed in East Kalimantan. A total of 200,000-300,000 researchers will be invited, including Indonesian researchers currently working overseas.

“Research and innovation is the key to a (country’s progress). We should be entering this phase now,” President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Monday (2/11/ 2019), responding to a question from Kompas at a media briefing at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

According to the President, the government was focusing on research and innovation and some initial stages had been drawn up. One of the fundamental steps taken was to establish the National Research and Innovation Agency.

Research and innovation is the key to a (country’s progress).

Jokowi said that he had ordered that a plan for a research and innovation complex be included in the design of the new capital city in East Kalimantan.

“There will be a big cluster specifically for research and innovation (in the new capital). Some 200,000 or 300,000 of our researchers now working in Japan, Korea, Singapore and America will reside there. The institution, location are being prepared. I imagine it is to be quite large,” he said.

On a separate occasion, National Research and Innovation Agency head Bambang P.S. Brodjonegoro said that the complex would function as a research and development center, staffed provisionally with domestic and expatriate Indonesian researchers. “What is important is to attract private interest to conduct research and development [in residence]. The number of personnel and their salaries are left up to the companies,” he said.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Researchers from the Institute of Sciences (LIPI) install a prototype of a wind turbine at the Physics Research Center Laboratory at LIPI Puspitek, South Tangerang, Banten, Tuesday (2/7/2019).

Syahrir Ika, the chairman of the Indonesian Researchers Association (Himpenindo), welcomed the plans for the national research complex in the new capital. The complex is expected to generate knowledge and discovery that would contribute to commercial innovations.

Indonesia has a research and innovation complex, the Scientific and Technological Research Center (Puspiptek) in Serpong, South Tangerang. Built in 1976, the Puspiptek currently operates 50 branches, substations and stations that engage in research and development in a variety of fields. The Puspiptek was revitalized in 2013 as the National Science and Technology Park (NSTP) to promote innovation and economic growth based on science and technology.

Not yet aggressive

The President indicated that the government could not yet be as aggressive in funding research and innovation as in advanced countries like South Korea, Indonesia still needed to undertake large-scale human resource and infrastructure development over the medium term. Therefore, in the short term, the President had decided to effectively and efficiently channel the government budgets already allocated to research and innovation, which totaled around Rp 26 trillion.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Research and Technology Minister and head of the National Research and Innovation Agency Bambang PS Brodjonegoro.

“Indonesia scores very low in its research and innovation budget with respect to gross domestic product (GDP). It does not even reach one percent, but the amount of spending is not small, Rp 26 trillion a year. I always ask what it has produced. It shouldn’t just produce research reports, but it should offer end results that are useful for the public, for small industries,” he said.

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics has provided funding of US$2.13 billion (0.1 percent of GDP) to Indonesia for research and development. The fund consists of US$839 million to government aid, $547 million to private institutions and $744 million to higher education institutions. The year of the fund is not mentioned.

South Korea allocates $73.2 billion (4.3 percent of GDP) to research and development, while Thailand allocates $5.15 billion (0.5 percent of GDP) and Vietnam $1.78 billion (0.4 percent of GDP).