DPR Deputy Speaker Says IDR 4 Trillion Research Budget Not Ideal, Should Be IDR 8 Trillion

The Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives’ Commission X, Lalu Hadrian Irfani, has commented on the additional IDR 4 trillion research and innovation budget allocation for universities in 2026. He considers the additional budget to be less than ideal. According to him, the ideal amount to support research activities in universities is around IDR 7 to 8 trillion. “Ideally around 7 to 8 trillion,” Lalu told reporters at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 30 June 2026. Nevertheless, Lalu said the budget amount must still be adjusted to the country’s fiscal condition. Therefore, he understands if the additional research budget for 2026 only reaches IDR 4 trillion. “But in 2027 we hope it can increase, can be added, even more than 7 to 8 trillion,” he said. Lalu explained that an increased research budget is necessary to encourage the development of science and technology in Indonesia. According to him, research must also be conducted in various sectors with targeted planning. He stressed that research results should not stop at scientific publications alone, but must provide real benefits to society and support the government’s needs. “The goal must also truly align with what the government needs. Do not let the results of this research be merely journals, merely placed in a library, but we must think about its application first,” Lalu explained. It was previously reported that President Prabowo Subianto is accelerating the strengthening of national research by instructing an increase in the research budget of up to IDR 4 trillion. The government wants to make research the main engine for solving strategic national problems while accelerating Indonesia’s transformation into a developed country. Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the directive was conveyed by Prabowo in a previous meeting at the Palace. The budget increase is expected to strengthen the research ecosystem, which has so far been considered to be running in a fragmented manner. “At the previous meeting, at the Palace, he (President Prabowo) had already given instructions to increase our research budget, up to the figure of IDR 4 trillion,” Prasetyo said in an official statement on Monday, 29 June 2026. Prasetyo explained that the government is currently unifying the direction of national research policy through cross-ministerial and institutional coordination. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) are involved to ensure all research moves in one direction of national development.