Coordinating Minister AHY: 2026 TEP Research Results Must Inform Policy Recommendations

The Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), has asserted that the research results from the 2026 Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) must not merely remain as academic reports. The findings produced by the participants must be capable of being translated into policy recommendations that the government can immediately implement to accelerate the development of transmigration regions.

“I hope that upon returning from the field research, the output can be reported formally, studied, and analysed by the Ministry of Transmigration. We will also certainly review them and, as much as possible, convey them to all relevant ministries and agencies,” he stated during a dialogue session at the 2026 Patriot Expedition Team Send-off event at Balai Kartini, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 29 July 2026.

AHY noted that the government is providing space for every recommendation arising from field research to be studied by the Ministry of Transmigration and related institutions. According to him, recommendations formulated based on field data and facts hold strategic value in producing precisely targeted policies.

He added that while not all recommendations can be implemented immediately—as some require further study—all science-based and evidence-based inputs will serve as essential material for government policy formulation. “However, all feedback from the field is very valuable, especially when conducted based on science and evidence obtained from the field,” he said.

This statement was a response to a question from a TEP participant from Hasanuddin University, Nurvidya Ramadhani, who asked to what extent the participants’ research results would be implemented in government policy. Nurvidya expressed that, until now, she had studied poverty issues only through classroom theory, making the TEP programme an opportunity to understand community conditions directly and contribute to national development.

“With the presence of this Patriot Expedition Team, it opens my eyes that this is a great opportunity for me to contribute significantly to Indonesia. What I want to ask is, when our research produces an output, to what extent can this be implemented in policy?” said Nurcal.

In response, AHY praised the enthusiasm of the participants who chose to go directly into the field to understand development issues. He noted that empirical experience is a vital asset for producing recommendations that are not only academically robust but also relevant to community needs. “Often we discuss poverty only in classrooms. To see the most real and actual conditions, we must go into the field. That is why the decision of your friends to join the Patriot Expedition Team provides an excellent opportunity to gain direct experience among the community,” said the Coordinating Minister.

Through this approach, AHY hopes that the Patriot Expedition Team will not only produce scientific research but also generate recommendations capable of bridging the gap between the needs of communities in transmigration areas and government development policies.