Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is developing and strengthening the national research ecosystem to nurture high-caliber researchers capable of producing internationally acclaimed work and potentially earning Nobel Prizes.
The ministry’s Director of Research and Development Talent Development, Heri Kuswanto, said Indonesia still faces challenges in increasing the number of scientists with international recognition.
“Data from 2024 shows only around 57 out of 283.5 million Indonesians are among the top 2 percent of researchers, or top scientists in Indonesia. This is far from several neighboring countries,” he explained at the launch of the 2026 Young Researcher Award (YRA) in Jakarta on Thursday.
Addressing this gap, Kuswanto stressed that young researchers cannot be expected to develop independently without proper support and intervention.
Therefore, his office is developing a development system in line with Presidential Regulation Number 108 of 2024 concerning the Grand Design of National Talent Management (MTN).
“It covers pre-development, followed by talent development, and also the strengthening of outstanding talents. So, we are working on all the milestones,” Kuswanto continued.
In an effort to create a conducive ecosystem, the ministry is focusing its program on facilitating scientific publications, noting that publications carry the greatest weight in international rankings, while also providing research incentives.
Therefore, Kuswanto believes the 2026 YRA by the Indonesian Researchers Association (PPI) is a concrete manifestation of providing the necessary incentives to motivate young researchers.
Furthermore, the ministry is facilitating the establishment of Science Techno Parks (STPs) to ensure research findings do not merely remain on paper but can be directly applied and deliver benefits to the wider community.
“Everything we do, whether related to research or activities in higher education, must have an impact,” Kuswanto pointed out.
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Translator: Sean Filo M, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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