Daily Bulletin

Men's Weekly

.

  • Written by The Conversation Contributor

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, Indonesia, with the support of Australia, US, and UK, finally has a multi-year funding scheme to finance long-term world-class scientific research.

The Indonesia Academy of Science, an honour society of distinguished scholars, yesterday launched the Indonesia Science Fund (ISF), the country’s first research funding organisation that provides multi-year grants for frontiers of science research.

Indonesian scientists seeking research funds from the government have had to rely on yearly grants that follow the annual budget cycle. This, according to the president of the Academy of Science, Sangkot Marzuki, has limited their ability to achieve the best research outcomes.

Despite having more than 3,000 universities and 400 research institutions, the world’s most populous Muslim country has been trailing behind its neighbouring countries in scientific research. Indonesia is ranked 57 in the number of academic journal articles produced, behind Thailand (43rd), Malaysia (36th) and Singapore (32nd).

A low-middle income economy, Indonesia spends less than 0.1% of its GDP on research and development, according to World Bank data. Indonesia’s percentage of research and development expenditure to GDP is similar to Senegal, one of world’s least developed countries.

“This [the Indonesia Science Fund] is an answer to our researchers' complaints, because they are also are being blamed for not being productive,” Indonesia Academy of Science vice president Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro.

“Money is not the only challenge [for researchers] but also the fact there’s not a conducive environment to do research,” Brodjonegoro added.

image The Indonesia Science Fund provides multi-year funding for scientific research, freeing Indonesian scholars from relying on yearly grants that does not support long-term research planning.

ISF is supported by Indonesia’s Endowment Fund for Education under the Ministry of Finance, committed to provide a ballpark of US$3 million a year to disburse to researchers, according to Brodjonegoro. ISF is also supported by the US, UK and Australian governments.

ISF executive director J. W. Saputro said in the first year, ISF will provide grants for research in the areas of health and the environment.

Saputro said the organisation has eight areas of focus:

  • Identity, diversity and culture
  • Archipelago, maritime and bio-resources
  • Life, health and nutrition
  • Water, food and energy
  • Earth, climate and the universe
  • Disasters and community resilience
  • Material and computational science
  • Economy, society, and governance

Marzuki said that the launch of ISF is a milestone in Indonesia’s history. He said it will provide an ecosystem to support basic research, which has been neglected in the past 70 years.

Authors: The Conversation Contributor

Read more http://theconversation.com/indonesia-launches-its-first-multi-year-funding-scheme-for-scientific-research-56979

Business News

How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Conveyor System

It’s easy to forget your conveyor is even there, until it stops. And when it does, you’re in a world of delayed orders, unexpected downtime, and one very expensive headache. But the good news is tha...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

Virtual CFO Hiring Checklist: 10 Expert Tips in Australia

Hiring a Virtual CFO (VCFO) is no longer just reserved for large corporations. In today’s business environment, where agility, compliance, and strategic foresight are essential, Australian startups...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

Top Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Office Removalists in Perth

Moving a workplace is more than shifting workstations and computers; it is a complex project that can affect staff morale, customer service and revenue if it goes off-track. Perth’s commercial prope...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

LayBy Deals