Indofood Opens Research Funding for Final Projects, Open to All University Students
Students currently working on their final year projects now have the opportunity to obtain research funding through the Indofood Riset Nugraha (IRN) 2026–2027 Programme. Interestingly, this programme, which has entered its second decade of implementation, is open to undergraduate (S1) students from all majors and universities across Indonesia.
The research grant programme, organised by PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, has returned with the theme “Functional Food Research Based on Local Potential and Wisdom”, encouraging students to develop Indonesia’s rich local resources into food innovations that benefit public health.
Proposal submissions have been open since 29 May and will continue until 31 August 2026. Submitted proposals will subsequently be selected by the IRN Expert Team, consisting of academics and practitioners from various interdisciplinary fields. The announcement of research grant recipients is scheduled for October 2026.
The Chairperson of the IRN Programme and Director of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, Suaimi Suriady, stated that throughout its 20-year implementation, IRN has served not only as a research funding programme but also as a platform for learning and capacity building 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 Indonesia’s young generation of researchers. This year, we are encouraging more students to take advantage of this opportunity and explore Indonesia’s rich local food resources for a sustainable food future,” he said.
Contrary to the assumption that food research is only intended for students in food technology or nutrition fields, the IRN Programme is open to students from all study programmes, provided that the proposed research topic aligns with the established theme and scope.
Research fields that can be submitted include Agro-Technology (Cultivation), Process and Processing Technology, Nutrition and Public Health, as well as Socio-Culture, Economics, and Marketing. The research objects can originate from various resources based on local potential and wisdom, ranging from the agricultural, plantation, forestry, fisheries, marine, and livestock sectors to water resources.
The Chairperson of the IRN Expert Team and Professor at IPB University, Prof. Purwiyatno Hariyadi, assessed that Indonesia’s local food potential still holds many opportunities to be developed into scientific-based innovations that impact public health.
“There is a close link between food and health. Food is no longer just about meeting nutritional and energy needs, but is a crucial pillar of health, especially in improving immunity through functional food intake. We want to encourage students across Indonesia to be more perceptive, sensitive, and exploratory in highlighting local wisdom and the potential around them, then transforming it into scientifically-based functional food innovations,” he said.
He also reminded prospective participants to pay attention to the quality of the submitted proposals. According to him, a good proposal does not only meet technical writing aspects 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 theme. The alignment of the research topic with the functional food theme is essential. Ensure the background explains the urgency of the research well, and do not miss the submission deadline,” he added.
To assist students in understanding the registration process and proposal preparation, Indofood will hold a series of socialisations for the IRN 2026–2027 Programme online and offline at various universities across Indonesia throughout June 2026.
During these activities, students can obtain information regarding research themes, registration mechanisms, selection criteria, and tips for drafting 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, which was pioneered in 1998. This programme is part of Indofood’s CSR pillar, ‘Building Human Capital’, which focuses 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 more than 1,100 student research projects from over 200 universities and colleges across Indonesia, from Aceh to Papua.
These achievements demonstrate that student research can be a source of innovation rooted in Indonesia’s rich resources. Amidst increasing attention to functional food and preventive health, the role of the younger generation in developing local food potential through research is expected to become increasingly important in the future.