BRIN Showcases 200 Innovations to President Prabowo
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) brought approximately 150 to 200 innovation products, grouped into 12 clusters, to be showcased to President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace on Thursday. The exhibition was part of a dialogue between the President and 150 BRIN researchers regarding various research-based solutions to address national challenges.
BRIN Head Arif Satria stated that the agency was honoured that researchers had the opportunity to engage directly with the President while presenting the research results that have been developed. According to Arif, the meeting was a continuation of several presentations previously made by BRIN in various limited meetings, both at Hambalang and at the Palace. In those sessions, BRIN presented findings deemed capable of helping to solve the nation’s problems, ranging from waste management and the construction of a giant sea wall to issues concerning water, food, and other strategic matters.
On this occasion, BRIN not only presented research concepts but also brought various innovation products, both those already produced and those still in the completion stage. One of the flagship innovations comes from the energy sector, namely Absorbed Natural Gas (ANG) technology. Arif noted that this technology has the potential to become an important part of the national energy transformation. The use of ANG with a pressure of less than 30 bar could serve as an alternative to LPG while helping to save the country’s foreign exchange.
In addition to energy, BRIN also brought various research results in the fields of food, health, transportation, housing, space, aviation, nuclear, and rare earth metals, as well as innovations to support fishing villages and the Free Nutritious Meal programme. In the food sector, BRIN has produced several superior varieties, including biosaline rice that can be cultivated on land with high salt content. Arif explained that the next challenge is to accelerate seed production so that it can be more widely utilised by the community through collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Not all innovations could be brought to the Palace, as some are located in various regions and are large in scale. Therefore, BRIN only displayed products that had been curated and were feasible to exhibit directly to the President. During the agenda, the President was also scheduled to tour the exhibition and engage in direct dialogue with the researchers who developed the innovations. Arif stated that the researchers were enthusiastic about the opportunity to meet the President, and BRIN is looking forward to the President’s direction regarding the future development of national research. He emphasised that the President’s message about the importance of technological mastery as a matter of national dignity has further motivated researchers to produce innovations that impact society and the national economy.