The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has said it is strengthening and facilitating research activities in universities, particularly under the State-Owned Enterprises’ Higher Education Alliance (Aperti BUMN), to advance research and innovation in Indonesia.
“University, which is under state firm, becomes one of our main partners in carrying out research and innovation,” BRIN Head Laksana Tri Handoko said in a statement received in Jakarta on Friday.
Aperti BUMN is in a strategic position to collaborate with BRIN, especially for strengthening non-governmental research related to increasing added economic value, he added.
To build this collaboration, BRIN has prepared various facilities, both in terms of open platform schemes, research funding schemes, and research collaboration center schemes, he informed.
Under the open platform scheme, all research infrastructure managed by BRIN can be used by all parties, he said.
“Equipment is important to support research,” Handoko added.
Under the research funding scheme, BRIN is providing two types of research funding based on the National Research Priority (PRN) and for research to support the handling of COVID-19, he informed.
In addition, there is a new scheme, namely the Center for Research Collaboration, which is a continuation of the Center for Excellence in Science and Technology (PUI), he said.
The Research Collaboration Center will focus on specific research, which will be tied to a multi-year contract that can extend up to seven years, Handoko informed. The Research Collaboration Center can be carried out both with industry and universities, he said.
“All the existing schemes will be evaluated at the end of the year to assess the continuation of schemes in the following year. So, it does not interfere with conducting research activities,” he said.
By sharing these facilities and schemes, it is hoped that research collaboration with campuses and industry will develop naturally, he explained.
“BRIN provides facilities for researchers to collaborate comfortably to spawn creativity so that they can contribute to the nation in the future. I hope there will be many collaborations, especially with campuses at Aperti BUMN,” he said.
Rector of Telkom University, Adi Wijaya, said there are many research fields where BRIN and Aperti BUMN can collaborate in the future.
“This research and innovation stems from problems that exist in society. With the presence of universities, particularly under the State-Owned Enterprises’ Higher Education Alliance (Aperti BUMN), it is hoped that it will be very helpful in advancing research and innovation that is beneficial for the progress of the Indonesian nation,” he remarked.
Aperti BUMN is a forum for higher education and universities managed by state firms such as Telkom University, Pertamina University, PLN Institute of Technology, Semen Indonesia International University, Pos Indonesia Polytechnic, School of Logistics Management (Stimlog), and Telkom Surabaya Institute of Technology.
Source: Antara News