New BRIN Head Stresses Importance of Research, Innovation for National Development

President Prabowo Subianto inaugurates Arif Satria as Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) at the State Palace in Jakarta, Monday (11/10). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

New Head of the Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Arif Satria has underscored his commitment to aligning national research with President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programs across various sectors.

“Today I received a new mandate, and the field assigned to me is in line with the one I have been working in,” Arif said in a press statement following his inauguration at the State Palace, Monday (11/10).

Arif also stated that he has communicated with the President in multiple forums, including meetings with university presidents and heads of community organizations, as well as Ministry of Defense’s cohort activities.

According to Arif, the President delivered strong messages on those occasions, emphasizing the importance of strengthening national research and innovation to drive the national economic growth.

“[On those occasions,] I understood many of his messages about Indonesia’s future direction. Inshaallah, BRIN will oversee the President’s priority programs related to food, energy, and water. I suppose these three sectors need to be propped up by proper research and innovation,” he said, adding that the strength of research and innovation will be the key to Indonesia’s future economic growth and countries with a high innovation index tend to have higher welfare rates.

“Research and innovation will serve as the foundation. Strong performance in these areas directly correlates with a nation’s economic growth. The higher the global innovation index, the higher the GDP per capita. It is almost guaranteed. Thus, whether we like it or not, we must enhance R&D, the innovation sector,” he said.

Arif also stressed the importance of consolidating national research and innovation, adding that collaboration among central government agencies and with regional governments must be strengthened.

“It is time for us to carry out national consolidation in research and innovation. This consolidation is crucial for strengthening the existing research ecosystem, whether horizontally or vertically,” he said, adding that BRIN’s top priority is to bolster research at regional levels, considering that each province has its own unique challenges and local potentials that can be harnessed through research approaches tailored to regional needs.

“The concrete step we must take is to expedite science technopark development and reinforcement in every region. If every region has a science technopark, it will be a pillar of the regional economy since it bridges the research sector and the industry,” he said.

The newly elected Head of BRIN also pointed out that, as a result of the merger of many research and development bodies from technical ministries, BRIN will focus on research that brings concrete benefits for the people and public policies.

“The President has an extraordinarily strong commitment to placing R&D as an important pillar of economic growth. We must translate it into various strategic and tactical measures,” he remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (DH/EP)