Industry research projects continue<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More small industries will hopefully benefit
\nfrom the research conducted by higher education institutes, as
\nthe Ministry of Education and Culture launches the second phase
\nof a cooperation program between companies and universities.<\/p>\n
Bambang Soehendro, the Director General of Higher Education,
\nsaid yesterday that the Voucher Program is entering its second
\nphase and that the on-going first pilot project has shown some
\nencouraging results.<\/p>\n
\"Industries need assistance in producing better products to
\nhelp them compete,\" Soehendro said during a meeting with House of
\nRepresentatives' Commission X which oversees education, research
\nand technology.<\/p>\n
Research conducted under the program in the last fiscal year
\nof 1994\/1995 involved 44 studies, selected from 239 proposals.
\nMost research was conducted in Bogor, Bandung and Yogyakarta for
\nindustries with assets under Rp 600 million ($267,000).<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Education and Culture hopes to expand the
\nprogram in 1995\/96 to include: South Sumatra; East Java; Bali;
\nSouth Sulawesi; and West and East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
Efforts from the first pilot project have focussed on water
\nfilter equipment and waste treatment for a tahu (soybean curd)
\nindustry in Sawargi, Bandung, developed with the assistance of
\nengineers from the Bandung Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n
Other projects include: processing technology in carpentry and
\nhoney; waste treatment in the leather industry; and the
\ndevelopment of an accounting system for village-level
\ncooperatives.<\/p>\n
Soehendro said the program, which depends on funding from
\nsources outside the Ministry, aims to bridge the gap between
\nacademic circles and small industries which lack expertise in
\ntechnology.<\/p>\n
\"Much applied research work from academia tends to be stored
\nas mere reports,\" Soehendro said. \"They have never been tested
\nfor commercial purposes.\"<\/p>\n
The program, which budgets approximately Rp 10 million per
\nproject, researchers and entrepreneurs work together to identify
\nsignificant problems before seeking a solution.<\/p>\n
Last year's projects were encouraging in that they led to
\nimprovements in the designs of machineries used by the industries
\ninvolved, according to a report on the evaluation of the project.<\/p>\n
The report also found that these projects enhanced
\ncommunication between researches and small scale entrepreneurs
\nand provided a forum for constructive cooperation.<\/p>\n
Areas for improvement were also identified, including a lack
\nof involvement by industries in the design of their own
\nmachinery, according to the booklet produced by the Ministry's
\nDirectorate of Research Guidance and Service to Communities.<\/p>\n
Soehendro, who teaches at the Gadjah Mada University in
\nYogyakarta, said that while there is an increasing interest among
\nscholars to conduct scientific research, poor supervision and
\npractices by the research staff have resulted in some of the
\nproject's results being \"disheartening.\"<\/p>\n
He noted that research proposals submitted to the Ministry
\nhave increased from 921 in 1988 to 3,000 this year. The projects
\nare funded by a World Bank program which runs until the end of
\nthis year.<\/p>\n
Some proposals have been rejected due to the fact that they
\nlack references, or have little practical application, said
\nSoehendro. (anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/industry-research-projects-continue-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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