TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology has allocated Rp57 billion to fund 122 science and technology research programs. The research involves 854 lecturers and educational staff who work directly with the industry.
The Director General of Science and Technology at the Ministry, Ahmad Najib Burhani, explained that this program aims to bridge the gap between research innovation and industry. Through this collaborative program, the results of the 122 research projects funded by the LPDP are expected to be used directly by industry. Some of these results may even be commercialized.
Najib stated that this research program is different from traditional research, which is oriented toward journal or book publications.
“This is a different direction. Solving societal problems, together with the industry, and skill development. Thus, we also collaborate with the government, addressing the issues that are problems in that area,” Najib said during the launch of the Bestari Saintek Program with the State Budget (APBN) Funding Scheme for 2026 in Jakarta, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
The research projects are distributed across eight strategic sectors, with the food and agriculture sector having the highest at 45 proposals, followed by social humanities, arts and culture, and education with 30 proposals, and maritime with 12 research proposals.
Additionally, there are nine teams focused on information and communication technology, eight teams focused on health and medicine, eight on disaster management, six on energy and renewable energy, and four on advanced materials.
Najib stated that the 122 selected research projects have undergone a very strict and competitive selection process. Out of 2,499 applicants who completed the declaration of interest documents, only 122 research teams were selected. This involves 854 lecturers and educational staff, supported by 341 supporting industries from various sectors.
Of the research universities involved in this program, 57.8 percent are public, while 42.2 percent are private. “These figures emphasize the crucial role of public and private universities as drivers of national research and also demonstrate the growing activity and contributions of many private universities in our national research activities,” Najib said.
Read: Prabowo: Many Countries Learn From Indonesia’s MBG Program
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
