Instill a love of science and technology: Soeharto
Instill a love of science and technology: Soeharto
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian scientists should not only develop
technology, but also help instill a love of science and
technology in members of the public, President Soeharto said
yesterday.
Addressing the inauguration of the Biotech Center in Serpong,
West Java, Soeharto also spoke of the need to awaken the
industrial sector to the importance of science and technology.
"Today, only a small number of our industries rely on
(scientific development), and so we need to increase it," he told
leading members of the Indonesian Academy of Science and the
National Research Council at the ceremony.
The US$32-million Biotech Center is a facility for bio-
industry research and development. Though inaugurated yesterday,
it has been in operation since last April.
The center comes under the supervision of the Agency for the
Assessment and Application of Technology, which is chaired by
State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie.
The center is located inside the Center for the Development of
Science and Technology in Serpong, West Java.
Soeharto said that the center should also impress upon the
younger generation the idea that some could find successful
futures through a command of science and technology.
"That's why I'm hoping that universities will also be able to
make use of the facilities, both to increase student ability and
to provide opportunities for graduates after school," he said.
Only if such steps are followed will Indonesia meet future
scientific and technological challenges, he said.
Soeharto went on to say that science and technology
development should help boost exports by improving production
methods, thereby increasing their competitiveness.
"This can be done by establishing cooperation programs between
research institutes and relevant industrial sectors," he said.
"I call on businesses and those in the private sector whose
roles in economic development are growing to improve cooperation
and make use of research centers for production development," he
said.
In addition, research centers should be upgraded to meet the
needs of the industrial sector, Soeharto said, adding that
biotechnology is one of today's most promising technologies.
"The mastery, use and development (of biotechnology) is very
strategic because it is needed for both agriculture and
industrial sectors," he said.
Industries which make use of biotechnology are developing
rapidly and finding their products in great demand, he added.
The Biotech Center will focus on industrial and agricultural
applications of biotechnology in the areas of antibiotics,
vitamins, plantation and crop seedling, embryo transfer and
fishery cytology.
It has also been developing programs in cooperation with
foreign institutions. (swe)