Thursday, 21 May 2020
Challenges facing Indonesian researchers
COVID-19 is a global challenge which requires global solutions. In the first event of its kind, UK and Indonesian policy makers, scientists, and funding agencies have discussed the roadmap to tackling COVID-19 with the aid of effective multi-disciplinary collaborations.
During a webinar and discussion, organised by the University of Nottingham's Asia Business Centre and the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology, and supported by the Indonesian Embassy in London, scientists from the University of Nottingham and some of Indonesia’s leading universities presented their COVID-19 research portfolios.
This was followed by a discussion with Professor Ali Ghufron Mukti, the Head of the COVID-19 Research and Innovation Consortium for KEMENRISTEK/BRIN, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Newton Fund Manager and British Council. The online meeting was also attended by the Indonesian Young Academy of Sciences (ALMI).
In his keynote speech, Professor Ali Ghufron Mukti highlighted the challenges facing researchers and academics in Indonesia in battling COVID-19, including a lack of human resource capability to produce comprehensive, quality research into COVID-19, and outlined recent measures taken by the Indonesian government to overcome issues around organisation of research and innovation activities. This has included the enacting of a new law that enables more streamlined, de-bureaucratised approaches to be adopted to support domestic research and global collaborations, such as the collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education, through which the University of Nottingham now hosts eight PhD students.
Global Collaboration is Key
From the University of Nottingham, Professor Gisli Jenkins, Professor Mohammed Ilyas, Dr Ross Wilson and Dr Ana Valdes presented the breadth of Nottingham’s multidisciplinary research on COVID-19, before the webinar heard from Dr Yodi Mahendradhata, Dr Joko Sarwono, and Dr Wisnu Kusuma on the COVID-19 research portfolios of UGM, ITB, and IPB respectively. The Newton Fund strategic manager for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ms Triny Tresnawulan presented a collaborative funding opportunity, offering a further incentive for collaboration between UK and Indonesian scientists.
Mr Hartyo Harkomoyo, spokesperson for the Embassy of Indonesia for the UK and Ireland, said, “The Indonesian Embassy fully supports joint efforts by Indonesian and UK scientists in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.The efforts show concrete solidarity and contribution by scientists in facing the extraordinary disaster. The Indonesian embassy is persuaded that collaboration initiatives between UK and Indonesia will bear fruit."
Roles of Indonesian Diaspora scientists as catalysts for knowledge exchange
Prof Ghufron Mukti also stressed the role of Indonesian Diaspora scientists abroad and their contributions to the country’s research and innovation agenda. He said: “We provide support for research collaboration between researchers from diaspora-host universities such as the University of Nottingham and Indonesian scientists. RISTEKBRIN will provide up to Rp 2 Billion each year for three years to fund research collaborations related to COVID-19.”
Researchers from the University of Nottingham have been working closely with Indonesian authorities to support the management of COVID-19 in the country. The Nottingham-Indonesia Collaboration for Clinical Research and Training (NICCRAT) consortium, led by Professor Mohammed Ilyas, has been tasked with offering insight into the situation and to help formulate the national research, innovation and capacity-building stream, thus becoming an integral part of Indonesia’s COVID-19 management system.
Dr Bagus Muljadi, the director of the Indonesia Doctoral Training Partnership (IDTP) at the University of Nottingham, has been actively advising the Indonesian government to utilise its diaspora asset in order to boost quality research and innovation, and even before the COVID-19 outbreak had been urging the country to prioritise research in disaster management.
University of Nottingham leading UK-Indonesia research collaboration
Professor Robert Mokaya, the Pro-Vice Chancellor Global Engagement at the University of Nottingham said: “We at Nottingham have contributed significantly to the national effort in battling COVID-19 here in the UK. We are keen to enhance our collaboration with colleagues from Indonesia, especially in research that will offer solutions to the challenges of the current pandemic. We very much value our international partnerships as a means of addressing global challenges and bringing positive impact to humanity.
“I am particularly pleased with this timely initiative and look forward to more collaborations with Indonesian colleagues in the future.”
Dr Muljadi, added: “I am very happy as both an Indonesian and academic at the University of Nottingham to see such event take place. Indonesia is unique in that it has one of the largest biodiversity in the world - rich with indigenous knowledge and medicinal herbs that may provide the answer to such a global problem. In this webinar, best-of-the-best researchers in the UK and Indonesia have united to seek inspiration for collaborative research opportunities to help battle COVID-19 to try to help Indonesia find its own unique solution.”
Story credits
Rebekah King, Communications Officer for the Indonesia Doctoral Training Partnership, by email: enyrlk@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…