Rosan stresses research-industry collaboration to accelerate downstreaming

Investment and Downstreaming Minister and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Rosan Roeslani has emphasised the importance of collaboration between the research community and industry as a key to accelerating downstreaming, which generates added value for the national economy. According to Rosan in an official statement in Jakarta on Sunday, investment and downstreaming not only aim to increase the added value of natural resources but also serve as a foundation for realising a national industry that is productive, transparent, competitive, and provides tangible benefits for workers’ welfare. He stressed that Indonesia’s downstreaming policy direction must be able to create a sustainable industrial ecosystem. Incoming investment is not only measured by the amount of capital value but also by its ability to create quality employment, increase national productivity, strengthen technological mastery, and provide greater added value for the national economy. This was conveyed by Rosan while delivering a keynote speech at the National Deliberation of the Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI) 2026 organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology at Hall B of the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC), Jakarta, on Saturday (27/6). “We believe that the presence of you, students at universities, especially in the research and development field, certainly makes a very positive contribution. Therefore, we just need to think about future collaboration so that the positive things that have been born from investment and downstreaming can be implemented in existing industries and can produce extraordinary benefits going forward,” said Rosan. Rosan revealed that the downstreaming policy has shown positive results. Throughout 2025, Indonesia’s investment realisation reached Rp1,931.2 trillion, growing 12.7 per cent year-on-year, while exceeding the government’s target with a 101.3 per cent achievement. This realisation also managed to absorb more than 2.7 million direct workers, an increase of 10.4 per cent compared to the previous year. He added that the connection between research activities and industrial needs is an important factor in building a healthy and sustainable national industry. “Research that is connected to industry is one of the important factors in building a healthy and sustainable industry. Certainty of regulation, good governance, and ease of doing business will increase investor confidence while creating fair business competition,” he added. To strengthen the national innovation ecosystem, the government has prepared a Super Tax Deduction incentive of up to 300 per cent for research and development activities, and up to 200 per cent for education and training activities. According to Rosan, this policy will provide optimal benefits if accompanied by the commitment of all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration to produce innovations that can be applied in the industrial sector. He also stressed that improving the quality of human resources is an inseparable part of the national downstreaming agenda. Industrial development, he said, must go hand in hand with increasing workforce competence through training, research, skills strengthening, occupational safety, and the creation of harmonious industrial relations.