Indofood Opens Research Funding for Final Projects, Open to All University Students

Undergraduate students currently working on their final projects have the opportunity to receive research funding support through the Indofood Riset Nugraha (IRN) 2026–2027 programme. The programme, which has now been running for two decades, is open to undergraduate students from all disciplines and higher education institutions in Indonesia. The research grant programme organised by PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk carries the theme ‘Functional Food Research Based on Local Potential and Wisdom’, encouraging students to develop Indonesia’s rich local resources into food innovations beneficial for public health. The call for proposals has been open since 29 May and will run until 31 August 2026. Submitted proposals will be selected by the IRN Expert Team, comprising academics and practitioners from various disciplines, with the announcement of grant recipients scheduled for October 2026. IRN Programme Chair and Director of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, Suaimi Suriady, stated that over its 20 years, IRN has served not only as a research funding programme but also as a learning and capacity-building platform for students from various regions in Indonesia. “For two decades, IRN has not only provided research funding support but has also become a platform for learning, collaboration, and capacity building for thousands of Indonesian students. This is a tangible form of our commitment to supporting the growth of young Indonesian researchers. This year we encourage more students to seize this opportunity and explore Indonesia’s local food wealth for a sustainable food future,” he said. Contrary to the assumption that food research is only for students in food technology or nutrition, the IRN Programme is open to students from all study programmes as long as the proposed research topic aligns with the established theme and scope. Research fields that can be proposed include Agro-Technology (Cultivation), Process and Processing Technology, Nutrition and Public Health, and Socio-Cultural, Economic, and Marketing aspects. Research objects can originate from various resources based on local potential and wisdom, covering agriculture, plantations, forestry, fisheries, marine, livestock, and water resources. The Chair of the IRN Expert Team and IPB University Professor, Purwiyatno Hariyadi, believes that Indonesia’s local food potential still holds many opportunities to be developed into science-based innovations that impact public health. “There is a close relationship between food and health. Food is no longer just about meeting nutritional and energy needs but is a crucial support for health, particularly in enhancing the body’s immune system through functional food intake. We want to encourage students across Indonesia to be more sensitive and explorative in highlighting local wisdom and the potential around them, then transforming it into science-based functional food innovations,” he said. He also reminded prospective participants to pay attention to the quality of their proposals. According to him, a good proposal not only meets the technical aspects of writing but also demonstrates the relevance and contribution of the research to the programme’s theme. “A strong proposal is not just about technical writing but about the relevance and clarity of the research contribution to the programme’s theme. The alignment of the research topic with the functional food theme is important. Ensure the background clearly explains the research urgency, and do not miss the submission deadline,” he stated. To help students understand the registration and proposal preparation process, Indofood will hold a series of IRN 2026–2027 socialisation events online and offline at various universities across Indonesia throughout June 2026. During these events, students can obtain information regarding the research theme, registration mechanisms, selection criteria, and tips for preparing proposals directly from the IRN Expert Team. The Indofood Riset Nugraha programme was first launched in 2006 as a continuation of the Bogasari Nugraha Programme initiated in 1998. It is part of Indofood’s CSR pillar, Building Human Capital, focusing on human resource development through support for student research activities. Over its 20 years of implementation, IRN has received more than 8,300 research proposals and funded over 1,100 student research projects from more than 200 universities across Indonesia, from Aceh to Papua. This achievement demonstrates that student research can be a source of innovation rooted in Indonesia’s resource wealth. Amidst growing attention to functional food and preventive health, the role of the younger generation in developing local food potential based on research is expected to become increasingly important in the future. For students completing their final projects, this programme represents an opportunity to secure funding support while contributing research-based solutions for the future of Indonesian food.