President Jokowi: Indonesia Needs More Innovators

President Jokowi opens the 2020 Virtual Indonesia Innovation Expo (I2E), Tuesday (10/11). (Photo by: BPMI – Setpres)

Indonesia needs more innovators in various sectors, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.

“Indonesia needs more innovators in various sectors that are important for public demand including food, energy, and health sectors, as well as innovation in management, business models, and digital entrepreneurship,” the President said at the opening of the 2020 Virtual Indonesia Innovation Expo (I2E), Tuesday (10/11).

The President also said he welcomed the event, which is largest annual innovation technology research exhibition joined by a number of research and industry institutions.

“I warmly welcome and appreciate the exhibition of the 2020 Indonesia Innovation Expo. Innovation is the key to transformation, the energy to create change, the solution to solving problems, and the asset to winning the competition,” he said.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the President continued, innovations play an important role.

All countries, he added, are competing to be at the forefront of the competition, to be the fastest, to be the best in various innovations.

Indonesia has also made many innovations in tackling the pandemic, especially the Merah Putih (Red and White) vaccine developed by the country’s researchers, he said.

“The country’s innovators have also discovered a technology-based health tool called GeNose to accelerate COVID-19 handling. GeNose is designed to detect the virus through breath. A number of research communities also continue to develop effective medicines and therapies for COVID-19 treatment,” he said.

The President also pointed out that those innovations have proved that Indonesia has many talented innovators ready to fight for the nation’s independence and excellence, adding that the development of innovation must be supported by an innovative ecosystem.

“This expo is an example of such ecosystem. We must continue to facilitate cooperation between stakeholders, strengthen multiple helixes, as well as strengthen collaboration between innovators and industries, the Government, and the society,” the President said.

Through collaboration, he added, the works of the country’s innovators will not stop or end as prototypes but continue to be mass-produced and enter a commercial investment, adding that the collaboration is also expected to provide enormous benefits, such as overcoming issues in the society, improving added values of the national economy, and job creation.

“I call on innovators to contribute to the nation and state progress, to contribute for a better life and humanity,” the President said.

For the record, the 2020 Indonesia Innovation Expo (I2E) is an annual exhibition of high-tech achievements initiated by Ministry of Research and Technology / the National Agency for Research and Innovation.

The expo showcases various innovative products from universities, research institutions, and industries. The expo, which was known as RITECH Expo, is expected to become a forum.

The exhibition also presents various superior innovation products from universities, research institutes, industries, to innovators, all of which are the work of the nation’s children.

The exhibition, which was previously known as RITECH EXPO, is expected to become a forum for research and present various innovative products. (FID / BPMI / UN)

Translated by: Syarifah Aisyah
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas