Hikam practices practical science
JAKARTA (JP): Bringing science back to earth seems to be the intention of State Minister of Research and Technology A.S. Hikam as he tries to put a dose of market common sense into endeavors in his office.
Hikam maintains that the changes being ushered in at his office and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) which he chairs, are necessary and in fact in line with the paradigm shifts in the nation from being state oriented to being societal oriented.
Two very important fundamentals being imposed is that the research and technology produced must be applicable to the public, and that it must be incentive driven.
Gone are the days when scientists could look at the state as a bottomless pit of resources for often conjectural studies.
In the past "technology was isolated from society, the market, and industry. It was just a hobby oriented activity," Hikam said during a recent discussion at The Jakarta Post.
"What's the use of creating sophisticated labs if it has no direct contribution to society?" he remarked.
In the past the state ministry and the agency often have been criticized for embarking on projects with little relevance for improving the welfare of most Indonesians.
While various projects will continue, Hikam pointed out that what is important now is to undertake projects based on their applications to the public.
He also stressed that scientists themselves have to understand the social dynamics so their innovations can be widely "accepted" by the majority of unsophisticated public.
"The most important priority is how to secure agribusiness and industry, maritime exploration, and small and medium enterprises," he said of the three sectors which have proven themselves most resilient during the economic crisis.
In an effort to adapt high technology to suit the people's needs Hikam cited the adaptation of biotechnology for creating high quality seeds, and radio isotope for fattening livestock.
"We are also distributing booklets of our more practical experiments like how to make earthworm flour," he said.
Worm flour is a powdered form of the earthworm used to treat symptoms such as temperatures and fevers.
The second important change is that research must now be incentive driven, in that state sponsored projects must yield some sort of return.
This also highlights the need to increase the role and participation of the private sector in research.
"The role of the state in this field must be changed from executor to facilitator," Hikam remarked.
Research without heeding market needs only wastes resources and the results are irrelevant and useless, he explained.
Any discussion of the State Ministry could not escape the mention of former president B.J. Habibie who headed it for two decades.
Without directly referring to Habibie, Hikam admits that he has had to reorganize the internal shortcomings of both the state ministry and BPPT which were a result of past regimes.
He even suggested that beyond the grand edifice, the internal structures of the organizations are weak.
"For years people saw what they believe was the majestic advancement of science and technology...but in the end what we really saw was a myth," Hikam remarked. (10)