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)