MGBKI urges audit into alleged fake research scandal over travel grants

MGBKI has urged relevant institutions, from conference organisers to academic authorities, to immediately conduct a thorough audit in response to allegations of fake research by some parties for travel grants. Previously, media reports indicated that some individuals used invalid AI-based medical research to obtain travel grants for overseas conferences. In response, MGBKI Chairman Dr Budi Iman Santoso in Jakarta on Thursday expressed deep concern over allegations of academic and research integrity violations involving Indonesian nationals in international scientific forums. ‘Medical science can only stand on truth, honesty, ethics, and academic responsibility,’ Budi said. ‘Therefore, he stated, any form of data fabrication, research falsification, plagiarism, identity forgery, false affiliation claims, authorship manipulation, and misuse of artificial intelligence to create fictional academic works are serious violations of scientific dignity and intolerable.’ However, the organisation also stressed that all allegations must be investigated through fair, transparent, independent, proportional, and evidence-based procedures. MGBKI does not advocate public condemnation, personal persecution, or the dissemination of personal data. ‘The scientific truth must be upheld, not public uproar,’ he cautioned. He explained that relevant institutions must promptly conduct comprehensive scientific and ethical audits, including verifying the validity of data and raw research data, research ethics approvals, location, subject, and methodology validity, AI usage in academic works, and potential receipt of travel grants, awards, or other academic benefits. ‘If allegations are proven, MGBKI urges decisive action such as retracting academic works, revoking awards or grants, academic and ethical sanctions, and administrative or legal measures in accordance with applicable regulations,’ he said. The organisation views this incident as a national alarm for Indonesia’s medical and health education sector. He stated that the nation’s academic reputation cannot be safeguarded merely by defending its image but must be preserved through the courage to build clean, accountable, and integrity-driven systems. Therefore, MGBKI calls for strengthening national academic integrity governance through the establishment or reinforcement of research integrity committees in all medical education institutions; mandatory verification of ethics, data, affiliations, and authorship before academic works are presented at international forums. ‘Guidelines for AI use in research and scientific publications; national education on scientific misconduct; independent audit and reporting mechanisms for academic violations that protect good-faith whistleblowers,’ he said. Budi stated that science must not be subjugated by ambition. ‘Data must not be sacrificed for certificates. The nation’s name is not preserved by covering up mistakes but by having the courage to uphold the truth,’ he said.