Indonesia-Australia Launches Connection Program, Value Reaches IDR 499 Billion

Launch Connection (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government through the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas together with Australia launched the Australian and Indonesian Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation Collaboration Program (Connection). This program aims to support researchers from both countries to partner in promoting inclusive and sustainable policies and technologies.

This program is an Australian government grant with a commitment value of up to 50 million Australian dollars or the equivalent of IDR 499 billion (assuming an exchange rate of IDR 9,990 per Australian dollar), which will be implemented for five years, namely 2023-2027.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Penny Williams, said that the CONNECTION program would strengthen relations between Indonesia and Australia. Bearing in mind, Indonesia is a strategic partner of this country.

“Australia and Indonesia have been close friends and strategic development partners for a long time. These two countries have collaborated a lot in the education, research, and innovation sectors. "This collaboration will strengthen relations between the two countries in overcoming development problems," said Penny at the Launch of KONEKSI at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Jakarta, Monday, November 13.

Penny said, several Australian development partnerships in the education sector have resulted in various achievements in Indonesia, especially in key sectors such as health, agriculture, climate change, and the environment.

From 2019 to 2022, continued Penny, there were more than 4,000 joint publications between Australia and Indonesia. In fact, in celebrating the achievement of 70 years, the Australia Award Scholarship has provided more than 15,000 master's and doctoral scholarships to Indonesian citizens.

In fact, continued Penny, currently more than 200,000 Indonesian students have studied at Australian educational institutions through innovation programs.

“Today we celebrate the achievement of Australia and Indonesia's strategic partnership in the research and innovation sector with the launch of the KONEKSI program. "This program is expected to produce multidisciplinary research and partnerships to encourage a knowledge-based economy," said Penny.

Penny also said that in less than one year the connection had demonstrated various achievements from 610 initial proposals, 38 grant recipient partnerships had been selected, research on the environment and climate change, and involved more than 100 institutions in Australia and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Deputy for Human Development at the Ministry of National Development Planning, Amich Alhumami, said that the KONEKSI program is relevant in two ways. First, he said, the development of scientific research to produce new knowledge in the form of inventions and technology creation for inclusive and sustainable development.

"Second, the development of policy research needed for an evidence-based planning process, to support technocratic development design," he said.

According to data from the Bappenas website, the KONEKSI program has been signed since 2022. However, this program was only launched today. Later, KONEKSI will focus on efforts to strengthen the use of science and technology for the formulation of development policies and for the application of technological innovation creation.

The KONEKSI program is driven by three main implementing ministries/institutions, namely the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbud Ristek) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).