KSTI 2026 Symposium Discusses University-Industry Synergy for National Downstreaming
Jakarta - The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) organised the 2026 National Seminar of the Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI) as a forum to strengthen the role of universities in supporting the downstreaming agenda and national development, on Saturday (27/6).
During the session on ‘Downstreaming Strategies and Strengthening National Industry for Indonesia’s Economic Value Add’, the Minister of Investment and Downstreaming, who also serves as the Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Rosan Roeslani, emphasised that downstreaming aims to do more than just increase investment. Beyond that, downstreaming must create value-add, strengthen national industry, create jobs, and provide tangible benefits to the community.
“The investment we hope for is quality investment, investment that can create value-add, and also strengthen our human resources,” said Minister Rosan.
The Minister of BKPM also reported that throughout 2025, investment realisation in the downstream sector reached IDR 584.1 trillion, or approximately 30.2% of total national investment. This figure represents an increase compared to the previous year. To date, downstream investment has relied heavily on the mineral sector, particularly nickel. However, the government is beginning to encourage downstreaming in other sectors, such as agriculture, plantations, marine, and fisheries.
Minister Rosan explained that expanding downstreaming to these sectors is vital as it can absorb more labour. While investment in the agriculture and plantation sectors may not be as large as in the mineral sector, the impact on job creation can be much broader. Therefore, downstreaming needs to be directed not only to increase economic value but also to strengthen public welfare.
In his presentation, the Minister of BKPM also highlighted the success of nickel downstreaming. Before downstreaming was strengthened, Indonesia’s export value of raw nickel was approximately US$3.3 billion. After downstreaming commenced, the export value of nickel products and their derivatives increased to approximately US’33.9 billion. According to him, this demonstrates that domestic resource processing can provide much greater value-add to the national economy.
Minister Rosan emphasised that the success of downstreaming also depends on innovation, technology, and the quality of human resources. Consequently, universities play a crucial role in producing research and innovation that can be utilised by the industrial world.
“How can you, the professors and lecturers in higher education, present new innovations and new technologies so that we become more efficient and more productive with the products we possess?” said Minister Rosan.
Minister Rosan also noted that many research outputs from universities have yet to be utilised by industry. In reality, campus research can be a vital strength in increasing productivity, efficiency, and the ability of industry to keep pace with technological developments.
Economic independence cannot be built sectorally, but rather through the interconnectedness of various fields, ranging from economy, food, energy, industry, and marine sectors to education. Therefore, this forum is necessary to gather data-driven and science-based input to support more integrated policymaking. This was stated by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Brian Yuliarto, during the opening of the KSTI 2026 National Seminar on Friday (26/6).
Through the KSTI 2026 National Seminar, Kemdiktisaintek is encouraging university research to become more closely linked to industrial needs. This collaboration is expected to accelerate downstreaming, increase the competitiveness of national industry, create more jobs, and provide greater benefits for economic growth and public welfare.