LIPI needs more young researchers
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) is in need of more young researchers as 55 percent of its scientists are aged above 45 years old.
"I'm not saying that those who are older than 45 years are all unproductive. I'm saying that young researchers, who are still in their 30s, mostly have more energy than older ones, and therefore, are able to conduct more studies with better results," LIPI head Umar Anggara Jenie said here on Friday.
LIPI currently employs 1,037 researchers, around 570 of them are aged above 45 years old.
As civil servants, LIPI researchers have to retire at 55 years old.
Umar said as part of a regeneration program, LIPI has proposed that the government recruit 600 young researchers in the next two years.
"The government has given our proposal the green light, but we still have to wait for the final decision," said Umar.
Once approved by the government, the young researchers -- whom it is expected will come from various fields, including electrical engineering, computer science and telecommunications -- will be spread among 22 LIPI research centers and its five bureaus.
They are expected to undergo training so as to broaden their knowledge and skills in their respective fields.
Umar said he looked up to China, whose Chinese Academy of Sciences (CSA) employs over 50,000 researchers.
"The academy has 37,000 full-time researchers and 20,000 part- time researchers, most of whom are still young. It's a huge number compared to ours," he said.
In an effort to increase the number of researchers in the country, LIPI and four state universities signed last year an agreement in which LIPI would assist post-graduate students in conducting research to obtain their doctorate degrees.
The four state universities are the University of Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology, Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and Bogor Institute of Agriculture.
Under the agreement, each student receives assistance from his or her university professor and also from a LIPI researcher.
Each student receives Rp 300 million (US$32,600) for three years of study from the Office of the State Minister of Research and Technology.
Upon completing their studies, they will be required to work for LIPI for five years.
"The purpose is for them to share the knowledge and skills they have acquired with their colleagues in LIPI, so as to improve the quality of our research," said Umar.
Last year, 11 post-graduate students took part in the program. This year, four post-graduate students have been enrolled so far.
LIPI prefers applicants aged below 35 years old.
Also on Friday, Umar conferred the Sarwono Prawirohardjo Award to noted historian Taufik Abdullah and genetics expert Sjamsul Arifin Achmad. The prestigious award is given to outstanding researchers in conjunction with LIPI's anniversary.