BRIN Chief Urges Staff to Improve Research Proposal Quality

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Arif Satria has urged all researchers at the state research institution to improve the quality of their research proposals. “The government has provided a significant increase in the research budget. However, to date, the number of research proposals submitted is still far below the expected target,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday. The BRIN chief assessed that the current challenge for BRIN is no longer merely limited funding, but rather the availability of strong, measurable, and impactful research ideas. He revealed that the research budget has actually increased by up to Rp1.9 trillion. After an evaluation process, the value of proposals deemed feasible is only around Rp150 billion, far from the expected absorption target of more than Rp1 trillion. In his view, great works are born when work is no longer just an administrative obligation. Researchers who are truly integrated with their field are no longer obsessed with attendance, administrative targets, or performance allowances. According to Arif, almost all Nobel laureates share the same pattern, namely focusing on one field for decades. He underlined that the role of a research institution is not merely to identify problems, but also to offer solutions based on scientific evidence. He stated that the government needs input that is fast, accurate, and applicable in the policymaking process. “When the government faces various challenges, what is needed are solutions. That is where BRIN’s role as a development think tank becomes very important,” he said. “Good research not only produces publications, but is also capable of having an impact on policy, society, and the development of science itself,” concluded Arif Satria.