By: Reza Setiawan
There are several keys to the progress of a developing country. One of them is the progress depends on how the government collaborates with other countries in various fields.
Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Mohamad Nasir said collaboration between countries is a necessity to achieve a developed and prosperous Indonesia. He said openness and transparency were important so that Indonesia could advance.
During a press conference the launch of the Indonesia-UK infectious disease research collaboration through the “Newton Fund Program between the Medical Research Council (MRC)” and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education in Jakarta, Monday (15/5), Menristekdikti Nasir said, He said without collaboration is impossible for Indonesia to advance. If we want to move forward, we must be open. Openness and transparency are important.
He supports increased collaboration between Indonesian researchers and British researchers so that research in Indonesia can produce more patents and prototypes. Nasir said that the performance of Indonesian research, publications and patents was encouraged to continue to increase, and emphasized that the results of research must be able to be inspired so that it can have an impact on the economy of the people and the country.
He said, the number of patents in Indonesia alone has now reached 2,842, but this is not enough, the results of the research must also be commercialized to have an economic impact. This is what we push. I ask the Ambassador for this research collaboration to be applicable in the industrial world, so that it has an economic impact.
Kemristekdikti and the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy through the Newton Fund Program allocated a budget of Rp. 37 billion to fund the six best studies in the field of disease including research related to HIV, dengue fever and malaria. Regarding funding for the three-year study, the UK channeled Rp 32 billion, and Indonesia prepared as much as Rp 5 billion.
The collaboration results are expected to increase Indonesia’s resilience and readiness in dealing with deadly infectious diseases, including through policy interventions and the development of pharmaceutical technology and innovations in medical devices. Nasir said, the results of this research are expected to produce innovations in the fields of health and medicine. He thanked the British government for helping with research in Indonesia. The hope is that there will be utilization in the business world and industry, and we want this research collaboration period to be extended in the future.
Collaboration is an important part in improving the progress of the country of Indonesia. Through collaboration, it can create collaborations that are of international standard, rapidly enhance the capabilities of researchers in Indonesia and also create useful findings for the people of Indonesia and the UK.
