Microsoft to build research center in Indonesia
Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post, Beijing
Indonesia's top two technology institutes -- Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and Surabaya Institute of Technology (ITS), have signed a deal with the Microsoft Research Center Asia-Beijing on the setting up of a research center in the country.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU), hammered out during the recently concluded visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to China, was a follow-up from an earlier meeting between Susilo and the U.S. software giant founder and CEO Bill Gates in Seattle.
"The company plans to soon set up the research center in Indonesia," said Indonesia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairman MS Hidayat.
The center is tasked with among others, formulating and producing affordable Windows applications for developing nations. By making its package more affordable, Microsoft is hoping to gradually help reduce software piracy in Indonesia and neighboring countries.
In a speech during his China tour, Susilo mentioned the importance of Indonesians mastering information technology (IT) and information and communications technology (ICT).
ITB rector Djoko Santoso and ITS rector Muhammad Nuh, who signed the MOU, were included in Susilo's China entourage. According to Nuh, both ITB and ITS would have no problems in collaborating with Microsoft Research Center Asia-Beijing in developing Indonesia's ICT.
The planned center in Indonesia would be Microsoft's fifth after establishing similar bodies in the U.S., UK, China and India.
Under the MOU, ITS will concentrate its research at its campus on knowledge management, integrated systems, software applications development, and multimedia design focusing on marine technology, marine engineering, civil engineering and mechanical engineering.
ITB meanwhile, will focus its research on next generation user and data mining, digital multimedia for arts and graphics, wireless communications and network computing.
"ITB and ITS already have their own research centers on their respective campuses. But this agreement will speed up the development of ICT in Indonesia," Djoko said.
Nuh added that by helping out the establishment of such a research center, both universities could also upgrade their image among the international research community.
The government plans to provide Microsoft's planned research center with 300 hectares of land equipped with sufficient broadband and telecommunications facilities, clean water and electricity supply.
Hidayat said Microsoft and Indonesia have agreed to intensify the drive against abuse of intellectual property rights.
A study by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) put Indonesia in fifth place on its list of global software piracy for two years running in 2003 and 2004, after Vietnam, Ukraine, China and Zimbabwe.
"If Microsoft and Indonesia can reach a deal on how to solve the problem, then they (Microsoft) will start producing (the affordable software), including for e-government then commerce and education," he said.