Minister of Research and Technology: Puspiptek (Center for Research, Science and Technology) will Become the Stage for Researchers and Innovators
State Minister of Research and Technology, Suharna Surapranata said a lot of research collaborations have been between "red plate" and "red plate" (between government institutions). Yet to make a research useful in the community, researchers in various research institutions and universities in the country should collaborate with a lot of private / industrial organizations. For such purpose, the Ministry of Research and Technology will make the Center for Research, Science and Technology (Puspiptek) as a "stage" for actors in research.
According to the Minister, the government takes the role of building a "stage" supported by the pillars of the policy so that all actors (researchers and industrial / private sectors) can play their respective roles. "If the stage is not well-prepared, many of our researchers will play on the stage of other countries, and then a phenomenon of brain drain will happen." This statement was emphasized by the Minister when attending the National Seminar on Science III, entitled "Science as a Platform for Technological Innovation in Agriculture and Industry", held by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) in cooperation with MIPAnet, 13/11, in Darmaga Campus of IPB, Bogor. Apart from the researchers from various Faculties of Mathematics and Natural Science in Indonesia, the Deans of Faculties of Mathematics and Natural Science from various universities were present on this occasion.
Concerning the theme raised in this seminar, the Minister said that like part of the human body, science is the backbone to make innovations stand firmly. According to him, a researcher can only conduct a good research if she or he has a solid foundation of science. "A good applied research must certainly be supported by a strong basic research as well. It is here that the importance of science lies as the foundation of an innovation," he said.
About innovation, the Minister said that it is a new application of technology in society with useful aspects for the development. "It’s not an innovation if it is not applied," he said. He further said that there had been a lot of researches carried out by our researchers, but unfortunately they could communicate well to the users / industries. For this reason, he calls for integration, synergy and communication, both between fellow researchers (basic research and applied research) and between researchers and users / industries.
Meanwhile, Vice Rector of Academic and Student Affairs of IPB, Prof. Dr. Ir. Yonny Koesmaryono, M.Agr. described a decline in the student’s interest in the studies at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science. So far there has been the view that learning the basic sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and statistics is far from the bright future. It is not surprising that on entering higher education the students who had won championship in various science Olympics did not choose majors in mathematics and natural sciences but took applied sciences because these are more promising in the future. "But taking studies at the faculty of Science is potential to generate scientists who will be the foundation for the development of an innovation. Such scientists are needed by this nation," said Prof. Yonny.
Therefore, the Dean of FMIPA-IPB, Dr Hasyim, who is also Secretary General of MIPAnet, expects that the government will give more serious attention to the development of these basic sciences. "So far, the quality of MIPA laboratories is still far below that of the applied sciences. As a result the scientific development in the field is slow," he said. (mtd)
