Foundation offers awards, grants to young researchers

JAKARTA (JP): An Indonesian-Japanese foundation is, for the second time, encouraging young researchers to apply for grants to finance their projects.

Last year a similar program failed to attract many applicants, and none of the proposals submitted satisfied the requisites laid down by the Indonesia Toray Science Foundation, whose aim is to encourage innovations in science.

The foundation, established in 1993, will also present awards to teachers in Sumatra, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara who are considered creative in teaching physics, its executives said yesterday.

The foundation is backed by a large Japanese textile manufacturer, Toray Industries Inc.

"We were rather disappointed because very few proposals turned up (last year)," chairman Samaun Samadikun said yesterday.

"There were only 11 proposals and none of them met the criteria for the first prize of Rp 25 million (US$11,000)," said the head of the selection committee, noted biologist Bachtiar Rivai. "We are sure there are many talented researchers out there, but maybe the publicity was lacking last year."

Rivai and Samadikun are both former heads of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

Researchers must be no more than 35 years old and the deadline for grant requests is Oct. 1.

The "Science and Technology Award" of Rp 25 million will be provided to two researchers, and the "Science and Technology Research Grant" of between Rp 10 to Rp 15 million will be allocated to 10 to 15 people.

Ten teachers found to have developed creative methods of teaching physics, apparently an unpopular subject to teach, will receive the "Science Education Award" of Rp 4 million each.

"We decided to focus on Sumatra, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara as areas somewhere in the middle of the archipelago," Samaun said. "Java can relatively take care of itself while we may try the other islands next time."

Only four teachers enlisted last year because others misunderstood the offer and applied for the research grants.

The decision to limit it to teachers of physics was a consensus reached with Toray foundations in Malaysia and Thailand.

Samadikun also attributed the small number of proposals to a cultural reluctance in recommending oneself and others for research grants and awards.

"People look more to awards with prestige like the (environmental) Kalpataru award. The sum may not be large but it is the President who presents it," said Samadikun.

The Foundation was set up in 1993 with a permanent fund of Rp 3 billion.

Former managing director of the Malaysia Indonesia Toray Science Foundation said the program in Malaysia has fared a little better.

"There were nine recommended studies and two of them met conditions for the first prize," said Kazuo Tomita.(anr)