Prabowo Considers Proposal for State-Owned Enterprises to Fund Research

President Prabowo Subianto is considering a proposal for every State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) to provide funding for research. He received this suggestion during the Science, Technology, and Industry Convention held in Jakarta this weekend.

Speaking at the event, which was attended by two thousand lecturers, Prabowo stated that he had received much valuable input. “I am very grateful; from what I have read and heard just now, there are many very good and very sensible proposals, which we will follow up on immediately,” he said at the Jakarta Convention Center on Sunday, 28 June 2026.

Prabowo noted that one of the proposals suggested that state-owned industries should allocate a portion of their profits to research and innovation. “This is a good proposal,” said the Chairman of the Gerindra Party.

However, Prabowo stated that the government must assess whether these SOEs have sufficient profits to contribute to research, noting that SOEs have only begun to generate profits in the past year.

Prabowo also mentioned that he is currently streamlining and reorganising the SOEs. From a total of approximately one thousand existing entities, he stated that the number of SOEs will be reduced to around 250 companies, with one of the primary goals being the reduction of operational costs.

Additionally, Prabowo mentioned receiving proposals for doctoral scholarships in both public and private universities. “This is an excellent proposal; we will follow this up,” he remarked.

The Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI), attended by Prabowo, took place from Friday to Sunday, 26-28 June 2026. The President attended both the opening and closing ceremonies of the event, which invited 2,600 lecturers, including professors, deans, and rectors.

During the opening of KSTI last Friday, Prabowo delivered a presentation lasting nearly five hours to the academics. On Sunday, he spoke for almost four hours before the attending lecturers.

The forum, titled “Sarasehan Kebangsaan” (National Discussion), was part of the Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention. The event was organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. KSTI is an initiative by President Prabowo, which was first held at the Bandung Institute of Technology in August 2025.