BRIN Head Stresses Innovation Must Have Direct Impact on Society

Jakarta - Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Arif Satria has stressed that innovation must have a direct impact on the lives of Indonesian society. “BRIN exists to solve real problems in society, from disaster mitigation and food security to sustainable energy transition. Our innovation must have a direct impact,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday. He emphasised that research must not merely end up as piles of published papers, but must transform into concrete solutions and policies based on empirical evidence. He outlined a number of leaps that have been achieved. In the disaster mitigation sector, BRIN introduced innovative Earthquake Damping Technology that can increase infrastructure resilience in earthquake-prone areas. In addition, to address the challenges of urban area management and the provision of new energy, the implementation of waste-to-energy processing facilities (PSEL) continues to be accelerated. Going forward, BRIN is also pursuing a collaborative ecosystem concept titled “Rumah Inovasi Indonesia”, a strategic platform designed as a bridge to connect researchers’ findings with the industrial ecosystem, investors, and philanthropic networks to accelerate the downstreaming of technology products. Therefore, he officially submitted a proposal for budget strengthening to parliament, focused on the renewal and revitalisation of vital national facilities, including nuclear infrastructure for energy, industrial, and health purposes. Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR) Hetifah Sjaifudian expressed support for strengthening BRIN’s budget because research and innovation are important for national development. “Funding allocation for research must be viewed as a fundamental long-term investment, not merely an expenditure burden,” she said. She requested that BRIN conduct targeted research according to the urgent needs of society, particularly in the health sector. Specifically, the DPR asked BRIN to pay more attention to research on diabetes treatment, given the high number of sufferers and cases in Indonesia. As a form of tangible support and oversight, Commission X of the DPR RI plans to soon visit the field to see directly, various BRIN innovations that are already underway.