When Science Becomes Policy
For years, universities have produced thousands of scientific publications while the government has continued to face problems in food, energy, health, and industry that require knowledge-based solutions. These two worlds have long run parallel, though they have not always met at the same point.
The National Convention on Science, Technology, and Industry (KSTI) on 26-28 June 2026 presented an opportunity to shorten that distance. For me, this forum raised an important question: is Indonesia entering a new chapter where science becomes the foundation of public policy?
The question felt relevant as around 2,600 academics filled Hall B of the Jakarta International Convention Centre (JICC). Rectors, professors, lecturers, and researchers sat together with President Prabowo Subianto and ministers of the Red and White Cabinet in a forum discussing the direction of national development. This sent a message that the government is positioning the academic community as a strategic partner in shaping the nation’s future.
This convention was a continuation of an initiative that began with the first Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention at ITB in August 2025. The forum marked President Prabowo’s fourth meeting with rectors since the start of his administration. The pattern of communication being built shows an awareness that development requires a closer relationship between the state, universities, the business world, and research institutions.
The President also noted that many professors have been trusted to fill strategic positions in government. This message is interesting because it signals the growth of an evidence-based policy tradition, where policy rests on scientific knowledge and accountable analysis. Indonesia needs this tradition amidst increasingly complex challenges of food security, energy transition, industrial downstreaming, digital transformation, and climate change.
The experience of several countries shows that those which successfully escape the middle-income trap always place science as an instrument of development. South Korea, for example, built its industrial progress through long-term investment in research, higher education, and close partnerships between the government, universities, and the business sector. This experience demonstrates that the quality of research institutions is just as important as the size of the budget provided.
Forums like this will gain greater meaning when every idea has a clear follow-up path. Academic recommendations deserve to become part of the policy-making process, gain space in budget formulation, and be present in ministerial performance indicators. In this way, the dialogue between the government and campuses can evolve into a sustainable policy ecosystem.
Some developments point in an encouraging direction. The Minister of Agriculture has initiated collaborations with universities in Eastern Indonesia to strengthen agricultural innovation and support the food self-sufficiency agenda. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is also continuing to push for research that provides direct benefits for national development and strengthens economic independence.
This picture is also reflected in Indonesia’s research investment capacity. UNESCO data shows that Indonesia’s gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GDERD) is still around 0.24% of GDP. This figure remains below the average for OECD member countries, which reaches about 2.7% of GDP, and is far behind South Korea, which has exceeded 5% of GDP.
This difference illustrates that Indonesia’s challenge is not merely to increase the number of studies. What is more important is strengthening investment, collaboration, and the downstreaming of innovation as the foundation of national competitiveness. The size of investment is certainly not the sole determinant of innovation success. The quality of research governance, continuity of funding, and the ability to build inter-institutional collaboration play equally important roles. Targeted investment will accelerate the birth of technologies ready to be utilised by the public while boosting national economic competitiveness.
Indonesia has many examples of campus innovations that deserve to be scaled up. A number of universities have produced superior agricultural varieties, marine product processing technology, medical device engineering, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy. The next step is to accelerate the adoption of these innovations by farmers, fishers, MSMEs, local governments, and national industries. It is at this point that the success of research gains its fullest meaning.
The idea of directing research to answer national problems has actually developed widely in innovation policy literature. Innovation economist Mariana Mazzucato (2018) introduced the mission-oriented innovation approach, a development strategy that directs state investment, universities, industry, and research institutions to solve the major challenges facing society.
According to Mazzucato, a clear mission will encourage cross-sector collaboration, accelerate the birth of innovation, and ensure that research results provide real economic and social benefits. This view is highly relevant for Indonesia, which is striving to strengthen self-sufficiency in food, energy, health, and technology-based industry.
Firstly, the government can build a research fund based on national challenges. Each year, the government could set a number of priority issues, such as increasing food productivity, fertiliser efficiency, electric vehicle battery development, marine product processing, stunting reduction, water conservation, or strengthening the semiconductor industry. Research funding would then be directed to produce solutions for these problems.