Good research needs good long-term support. There is a powerful strategic demand for universities to join consortia, work with a range of partners, and position themselves in a global context. The UK and its international partners in Indonesia and in East Asia must look at the scale and the scope of the funding for global research, both from public and private sources.
Themes How can universities maximise their collaboration power and achieve common outcomes at a multilateral scale? Who should they partner, how do they find the right partnerships? How will the role of national and global funders change in a world where the goal of securing a sustainable future will require active collaboration with emerging powers? How do universities help create sustainable futures and solve the challenges of our global society?
Key issues for Indonesia and the region
- How to do cross-disciplinary collaboration
- How to work with industry and other stakeholders
- Funding systems
- Capacity building - training researchers to do research
- ASEAN 2015 Economic Integration
National context
Indonesia’s newly elected president, Joko Widodo, is scheduled to be inaugurated on 20th October 2014. The research agenda is high on his list of priorities, which includes the possibility that the Directorate for Higher Education and the Ministry for Research and Technology will be merged. The president elect has already made a commitment to increase the research budget, to ensure research-based policy and to use research to address key issues such as sustainable energy, food security and the development of Indonesia’s maritime sector.
Indonesia occupies a special place in the UK’s international work, due to its influential role as a leading member of ASEAN and the G20 in tackling some of these global challenges.
An overhaul of the research funding system must be addressed if any increase in research funding is to have a meaningful impact on Indonesia’s research quality and output. The Medan GED will provide a timely opportunity to discuss these and other issues that can feed into the new administration’s decision making process.
If you are interested to provide some commentary please contact esterinda.sihombing@britishcouncil.or.id.