East Java Governor Opens Space for Research Synergy with ICMI East Java
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Governor of East Java, Khofiferous Indar Parawansa, has opened opportunities for synergy with the provincial branch of the Association of Indonesian Muslim Scholars (ICMI) to strengthen research and innovation in addressing community issues.
“We are opening as much space as possible to synergise with ICMI. Let us utilise scholarship as a strength to solve various problems in Indonesia,” said Khofifah in a statement received in Surabaya on Monday.
According to Khofifah, East Java possesses great potential to become a hub for knowledge development due to its significant food security, natural resources, and substantial human resources.
She stated that the East Java Provincial Government is prepared to facilitate collaborative spaces so that university research results do not remain confined to academic environments but can be developed into innovations applied for the public interest.
Khofifah noted that East Java is home to 7,347 Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) with approximately 660,000 students (santri), as well as more than 41,000 teachers (ustadz and ustadzah), all of whom constitute part of the region’s human resource strength.
“East Java can be described as a complete package. As a National Food Barn with diverse natural resources, East Java is also one of the hubs for high-quality human resources in Indonesia,” she added.
Arif Satria, the General Chairman of the Central ICMI and Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), stated that the potential of natural and intellectual resources in East Java can serve as a foundation for strengthening evidence-based scientific policies.
“East Java is rich in natural resources and rich in intellect. Many top universities are located in East Java. I believe this is a very significant strength,” he said.
Arif expressed hope that ICMI East Java could become a strategic partner to the government in promoting the mastery of science and technology (Iptek), ensuring that the community does not merely act as users but is also capable of developing technology.
Meanwhile, the Vice Governor of East Java, Emil Elestianto Dardak, expressed his hope that the presence of ICMI would be marked not only by the size of the organisation but also by the impact of its service to the community.