Exclusive, Laksana Tri Handoko Guarantees Independent BRIN Researcher Even Though The Steering Committee Is Megawati Soekarnoputri

Like Tri Handoko. (Photo: Savic Rabos, DI: Raga/VOI)

Research activities should be free from political influence or political people. However, in reality, BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency) is the Chairperson of the Steering Committee, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the General Chair of the political party (PDI-P). Head of BRIN Dr. Laksana Tri Handoko, M.Sc., guarantees that researchers within BRIN remain independent in their work. The position of Chairman of the Steering Committee, he said, was only ex-officio.

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There are at least two things that have made BRIN the topic of recent news reports in both print and electronic media. The first is about the liquidation of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology (LBM), which is now under the auspices of BRIN. And secondly, the question of the independence of this institution is still being questioned because the Chairman of the Steering Committee is the general chairman of a major political party in Indonesia. Laksana Tri Handoko, who used to be the Head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), answered these two questions in a straightforward and thorough manner.

Regarding the independence of BRIN and also the researchers who work under it, according to Handoko, he guarantees this. "The Chair of our Steering Committee, which happens to be held by Mrs. Megawati Soekarnoputri, is the ex-officio position of the Chairperson of the BPIP Steering Committee (Badan Pembina Ideologi Pancasila). The regulation reads so, to ensure that research and innovation held in Indonesia are still based on the ideology of Pancasila," he said. "In terms of research, we remain independent," he said.

While the excitement about LBM Eijkman being liquidated, according to him, what was done was actually stronger institutionalization and provided guarantees for the researchers who were there. “BRIN integrates so many research units, Eijkman is one of them. We didn't abolish it, instead we institutionalized it into the Eijkman Center for Molecular Biology Research. So there is legal certainty over the status of the researchers in it," he said.

Through this institutionalization, continued Handoko, researchers can improve their careers and get better ones. “So far, they have been treated as administrative staff in terms of their status and financial rights. With this institutionalization they can become functional researchers, so they can get formal rights. We offer further study for there researchers and qualification upgrade. But we can't force anyone to have other options," he said to Edy Suherli, Savic Rabos and Rifai, who met him at the BRIN office, Thamrin number, Central Jakarta. He also talked about the progress of red and white vaccine research and how to improve the climate and research ecosystem in Indonesia, which is still not ideal. Here is the full excerpt.

Like Tri Handoko. (Photo: Savic Rabos, DI: Raga/VOI)

What is the research climate in Indonesia according to your recent observations?

In general, the climate and ecosystem of research and innovation in Indonesia is not yet ideal. That's because our researchers are still faced with various limitations. Good limited human resources; friends who have the same expertise, limited research infrastructure; facilities and infrastructure and budget constraints.

For research at BRIN, is there a focus on certain fields, such as IT (Information Technology) and AI (Artificial Intelligence), biology, Physics and so on?

With BRIN we can enter all fields of research. But the key thing is that BRIN can improve the research and innovation ecosystem which was not yet ideal. We focus on improving human resources and infrastructure. Or if there is no how to make the infrastructure exist, and can be accessed by many people, because we cannot give infrastructure to everyone. Of course there are also funding schemes that are more facilitating and easier.

IT is currently the 'king', many of the richest people have IT backgrounds, for example Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin and so on, what about Indonesia?

If we look at the Gojek driven by Mas Nadiem Makarim, I think it is an extraordinary breakthrough. And what he did was something that had the value of novelty, innovation, which is not only for the scope of Indonesia, is now also being imitated in many countries. Especially in the midst of the current pandemic.

We improve the research and innovation system not just to create such people. Equally important is how to get as many people as possible into the realm of research. In my opinion, research is not exclusively a scientist, everyone can actually be a researcher. In fact, the more people who enter into research, we can expect more innovations to emerge. So we must not fail to focus, if we focus on the product, it will be instant, and if it is instant, the strategy will be short term. We must improve our research and innovation ecosystem.

Talking about research funding which is still limited, how do you deal with this?

Our research funds are actually not minimal, yes, if we add up the amount is large. But because it is retailed to many places, the funds are scattered in small pieces. And research is the main thing, not funding, the most important thing is human resources and infrastructure. If the human resources and infrastructure are good, we can attract funding from outside. So our focus is not on the budget, although the budget is also necessary. But budget isn't everything. Able to collaborate and collaborate with partners, with industries that will support research.

Like Tri Handoko. (Photo: Savic Rabos, DI: Raga/VOI)

So far, the cooperation with which parties have been realized?

One of these examples has just received a regular distribution permit from a detection tool for SARS-CoV-2 whose basis is not PCR, but artilam. So the cost can be cheaper. We are collaborating with the industry. For this project, all materials come from the industry, we provide human resources and research infrastructure. So once we have human resources and infrastructure we can do anything.

In the atmosphere of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is research on the red-and-white vaccine and also the Nusantara vaccine which was developed by Prof. Terawan Agus Putranto, how about this research?

For the red-and-white vaccine, it is BRIN's responsibility. Since early 2020, at that time it was still under the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education and is now BRIN. And there are seven teams working on it on different platforms. We continue to provide support for the completion of this research.

For the Nusantara vaccine, it is different, it is not under our responsibility. He was admitted to the hospital, because it was a service-based research. So that is beyond our responsibility at BRIN.

When will the red-and-white vaccine be ready?

We hope as soon as possible and our fellow researchers also hope so. But what I need to say is that making a vaccine is not easy. And secondly, so far there has never been an Indonesian research team that has and has experience in making vaccines. That the public needs to know. So that target is much more important and for our country it is how we create capacity and capability for research. So far we have no experience in this field.

Will the red-and-white vaccine always work or not? We have to follow all the processes, because research is like that. We can't promise. The other vaccines are the same. Vaccines that are now circulating in the community can later be known, for example, their efficacy is less good than other vaccines. The problem is that everything currently available still has an emergency distribution permit (from BPOM). So the presence of the red-and-white vaccine, whether it comes later, is not a problem.

So we have to be ready and prepare a vaccine, not just this COVID-19 vaccine. In the future we need a variety of vaccines, we need hepatitis vaccines and so on. Because so far we are still using licenses from abroad. That is our focus and a lesson for us in the management of BRIN as well as researchers. We must have that capacity and competence.

How far has the process for this red-and-white vaccine gone, what stage is the clinical trial at?

The most advanced (of the seven existing teams) is the Unair team, whose platform is inactivated by the virus, which is already in phase one clinical trial. So we are waiting for approval from BPOM. So you can't rush to get it over with. Everything must be done according to the process and stages that should be. In addition, we must also ensure the safety and efficacy or efficacy of the vaccine. This work cannot be targeted. Everyone wants it fast but if you can't, then you have to do it. Repeated and repeated, that's research, can't be instant.

What are the obstacles to this red and white vaccine research?

The biggest obstacle is that we don't have an experienced team, that's number one. Second, we are constrained by infrastructure. The infrastructure that we have so far is for vaccine production, which is in our industry such as at Bio Farma and others. For limited-scale production equipment, for pre-clinical trials, clinical trials do not yet exist, not to mention the tools for optimization, for our purification we do not yet exist. That's what we are currently working on accelerating.

So we really still have to be patient waiting for this red-and-white vaccine?

Oh yeah, we can't announce that we will be ready in what month while the process is still ongoing. If I do that later my researchers will be motivated to be manipulative, and that is very dangerous. They must do everything according to the right steps and procedures. My job is to facilitate researchers to be able to complete their task of producing vaccines with adequate efficacy. The focus is there, not when it will happen. In many developed countries, they have not yet succeeded in having a vaccine, such as Japan, Germany, France and others. Although that's not a justification for procrastinating. Tips work hard in the midst of existing limitations.

Recently, the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology (LBM) was liquidated, where are the researchers going next and what is their next role?

BRIN integrates so many research units, Eijkman is one of them. We didn't abolish it, instead we institutionalized it into the Eijkman Center for Molecular Biology Research. So that there is legal certainty over the status of the researchers in it. So far, they can't, they are treated as administrative staff in terms of status and financial rights. With this institutionalization they can become formal research functional officers, so they can get formal rights. We offer further study for there researchers and qualification upgrade. But we can't force it if someone has another choice.

The BRIN Steering Committee is Megawati Soekarnoputri whom we know is the Chair of PDIP, how do you explain that BRIN will remain independent?

The Chairperson of our Steering Committee, which happens to be held by Mrs. Megawati Soekarnoputri, is the ex-officio position of the Chairperson of the BPIP Steering Committee (Badan Pembina Ideologi Pancasila). The regulation reads so, to ensure that research and innovation held in Indonesia are still based on the ideology of Pancasila. In the law that is the translation. So it's not Megawati, because she's an ex-officio. If you replace it later, it will be replaced too, actually there is no problem.

People think there will be intervention on the researchers, it is not possible. The integrity of the researcher is in the researcher himself. The proof is that there are many BRIN researchers who also criticize and write in the mass media. Imagine that they criticize BRIN, even though it is in the same institution. That means what, no intervention on them.

So BRIN remains independent even though the Steering Committee is Megawati Soekarnoputri?

Yes it sure is. If BRIN is a government institution, above it is the president. All under the auspices of the president.

What else will BRIN do?

Once we have consolidated our existing resources, we are now able to do many things that were previously impossible. We have opened various funding schemes and facilities for human resource development that had never existed before because we couldn't do it. Examples can share research infrastructure for all parties. It used to be boro-boro to facilitate other people, it was not enough for myself. There are funding grants for clinical trials.

So researchers from outside can submit proposals to BRIN?

Now the system is open and competitive. Everyone can submit research proposals, not just BRIN researchers. BRIN researchers must compete for available funding. We want to make the research climate and ecosystem better than ever.

Ideally the seeds of researchers are from high school or college students?

Starting from S1 students. High school is still too early. We are the coordinator and executor of the national talent program for research. From the levels of S1, S2, and S3. We also distribute researchers to campuses. And there is also a program for diaspora who want to return to their homeland. Open opportunities for them as wide as possible. With a note must have the qualifications and standards of BRIN. We provide facilities for them to have 'toys' here. Last year we opened 325 positions for persiet. And this year we are opening to 500 researchers.

So make sure that research and innovation in Indonesia is very promising, because Indonesia has extraordinary local competitiveness. We must utilize our human resources. We from BRIN invite top Indonesian talents to join as researchers or become research-based entrepreneurs.

Like Tri Handoko, Physicist Who Loves Carpentry and Gardening

Like Tri Handoko. (Photo: Savic Rabos, DI: Raga/VOI)

There are many ways to get out of the boring daily routine. For a physicist like Dr. Laksana Tri Handoko, M.Sc., carpentry and gardening are two activities that can take him out of his routine for a moment. If he is carpentry or gardening, he can forget other things. He was completely focused until the tools he made were finished, or the plants he planted grew well.

Although now he admits that he lacks exercise, his hobby of carpentry and gardening makes his body also move like exercising. "I'm not a sportsman, but I like sports, now I have a lot of time for sports. But I do have a hobby that is quite draining by doing carpentry and gardening,” he said.

This activity, Handoko admits, as she is usually called, has succeeded in keeping her busy with activities that are usually carried out on weekends or holidays. In addition, this activity is exhausting and sweaty. So it can be a substitute for sports too. "Because when you do something, your whole body can sweat. Yes, it can be like sports, even more so in my opinion,” said the man who was born in Malang, May 7, 1968.

How do you like carpentry and gardening? “Since I was a child, I have been used to this activity at home. So the electrical installation, water installation and carpentry I can do myself. I do all the making of household furniture such as tables, chairs, cupboards and others at home," said Handoko, who is self-taught studying carpentry.

The enthusiasm for self-study, he continued, is actually facilitated by the existence of various tutorials and new carpentry techniques that many content creators create. “Now it's great, there are techniques or tutorials in making something that can be found on the Youtube channel. We just have to imitate and apply it at home. So now it's much more interesting."

Just so you know, all the furniture in the house he lives in now in Depok, West Java, he made all of them. Starting from chairs, tables, cupboards, shoe racks and so on. “All the furniture in my house I made myself. I've been doing everything myself ever since. Even if you need a handyman, it's usually just to apply and realize it. For ideas, manufacturing techniques are all mine," he explained.

Especially for electrical and water installations, he often installs everything himself. "I installed electricity and water myself, my house was made with the concept of a smart home," he said. “To realize the idea, it is difficult to find a craftsman. But I still need the help of a kernet (a handyman assistant, ed) to realize the idea,” he continued.

There is a reason why he didn't look for a handyman and just needed help from a kernet to install electricity and water in his house. For Handoko, what she did was fun and quenched her inner thirst. "It's time for something fun to have someone else do it hehehe," he said with a burst of laughter.

When asked what else he will do for the installation of electricity, water and appliances at home? "Right now it's a bit difficult for me to divide my time. Usually weekends, now even weekends sometimes many meetings are held virtually. What I can still do is small work that doesn't take much time. The duration of the work is about 4 hours, so I can still do it," he said.

Plant

Like Tri Handoko. (Photo: Savic Rabos, DI: Raga/VOI)

Handoko admits that he is a homebody. After working in the office for bureaucratic matters, because he is now the head of a national research institute (BRIN), he will return home if there is no urgent activity. It seems that this habit is the same as when he pursued a career as a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

At LIPI, he started his career from an ordinary researcher to become a section head and eventually became the number one person in LIPI. In 2002 he served as Head of the Theoretical and Computational Physics Group at the LIPI Physics Research Center. Then continued as Head of the LIPI Informatics Research Center (2012-2014). Before becoming the Head of LIPI (2018-2021), he was Deputy for Engineering Science at LIPI (2014-2018).

After being busy at the office, he will continue his activities at home by doing carpentry work, working on electricity and water installations. In addition, he also likes gardening in the yard. "But for plants I don't like big and shady ones. I choose small plants that can be planted in pots or in a yard that doesn't take up much space,” he said.

And the selection of types of plants Handoko did not want to produce for a long time. Chilli plants, tomatoes, celery, and the like are the choices. In addition to practical but also can be directly enjoyed. “I don't like to plant full ones, just small ones. But not flowers, yes, but those that can be eaten immediately, such as chilies, tomatoes, celery and the like," he explained.

Handoko will forget when she pursues this carpentry and plantation activity. “When I do carpentry and plantation activities, I can forget the tiring work at the office. My next-door neighbor knows that I like carpentry and plantations," he said.

Sakura land

Like Tri Handoko. (Photo: Savic Rabos, DI: Raga/VOI)

After completing high school in the country, Handoko had studied at the Bandung Institute of Technology for several months. He then left for Japan on a scholarship from the Indonesian government under the OFP IV program from the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology in the era of BJ Habibie.

He continued his studies at the undergraduate level majoring in Physics at Kumamoto University, Japan. After that he continued his studies at the Masters level in the Department of Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics, Hiroshima University, Japan. Not long after completing his studies, he continued his doctorate at the Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics at Hiroshima University, Japan.

As a researcher, he has published many scientific works in various journals both at home and abroad. He also already has several patents that have also been registered. Handoko has at least three patents, namely; a multi-grid connection system with an open cluster, a modular grid robot system, and an automatic electronic control of the water level in the reservoir.

In addition, he has received various prestigious awards at national and international levels. These include the PII Adhidarma Profession Award, New Inventions that are Beneficial to the State, The 400 most Highly Cited Papers of All Time in High Energy Physics and the 2009 Extraordinary Intellectual Property Award (Science). He also won the Asia Pacific ICT Award (in the fields of; e-Gov & Services, Research & Development and Education & Training). Handoko also won the Habibie Award for Basic Science. And many more achievements that have been achieved.

To achieve this feat, requires perseverance and high dedication. He advised the younger generation not to be complacent. “Nowadays there are many positive activities. We can do activities that can make us forget the activities that are not useful. If you have found it, then you will do it," he said.

Hobbies can also be a mainstay if taken seriously. “Nowadays many young people are becoming content creators, creating podcasts that can inspire many people. Just do it in earnest, someday you will reap the rewards of doing it. From a hobby it can become an income,” said Laksana Tri Handoko, adding that creativity and the courage to try new things are very important.

“Equally important is how to get as many people as possible into the realm of research. In my opinion, research is not exclusively a scientist, everyone can actually be a researcher. In fact, the more people who become researchers, we can expect more innovations to emerge,” he said.

Like Tri Handoko