LIPI to refocus on natural sciences as it gets new chief

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government installed Umar Anggara Jenie, a natural science researcher, as the new chief of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to replace historian Taufik Abdullah, signaling a return to its founding ideals as an institution with more concern for exact sciences.

Umar, a senior researcher at the Inter University Center for Biotechnology at the University of Gadjah Mada, was sworn in on Friday as LIPI's new chief by State Minister of Research and Technology M. Hatta Rajasa.

In his speech, Hatta expected Umar to lead LIPI to reposition itself as a basic research institution, but yet establish strong linkages with other research institutions and industries.

"In this era of global competition, LIPI needs to turn itself into a basic research institution, yet it has to be able to build strong connections with other institutions and industries to benefit the country," Hatta told reporters after the inauguration.

He said that the country's industries had not yet benefited from LIPI's research.

Hatta said, for example, that LIPI should boost its cooperation with the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) as an application research institution to follow up LIPI's various inventions, so that the inventions would benefit the country's development.

"I don't want any overlapping duties among research institutions in this country," he said.

Umar agreed with Hatta, saying that LIPI's repositioning would be one of the important things to do although funds for LIPI were limited.

"We'll continue the effort to reposition our post in basic research, in which our research could be further developed by research institutions for the sake of industries and the general public," he said.

He promised to encourage multidisciplinary researchers to benefit the general public, and to develop cooperation among research institutions.

"We need to create a conducive situation to conduct research," he said.

For example, in biotechnology research, biotechnology researchers should be guided by bioethics, which could be formed by sociologists, culture experts and others, he said.

He also supported natural scientists to be vocal points as social scientists were in criticizing government policies, or giving opinions on natural science-related problems in the country.

LIPI employs more than 1,000 scientists and researchers.

Umar, born in Yogyakarta on Aug. 22, 1950, is also a senior lecturer at the School of Pharmaceuticals in the University of Gadjah Mada, and the university's deputy rector for research and community services.

Obtaining his first degree from the School of Pharmaceuticals, Umar earned his masters degree in chemistry at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

He later obtained a doctorate decree in chemistry at the Australian National University and was granted the professor award in medicinal chemistry at the University of Gadjah Mada.