BRIN Megawati Director General: All Research For The Interest And Progress Of Nations

Megawati Soekarnoputri/screenshot via ANTARA

JAKARTA - Chair of the Steering Committee of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Megawati Soekarnoputri said all research carried out in the country must be for the interests and progress of the Indonesian nation and state.

"The research is not only for the benefit of science, but research for the nation," said Megawati at the Opening of the 2021 Research and Innovation Communication Forum (FKRI) quoted by Antara, Friday, November 19.

Megawati said that BRIN must move quickly and not start from scratch to produce research products and innovations that are beneficial to the community, nation and state.

"Progress together, move together, totality for the progress of the nation," said Megawati.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Megawati began to worry that Indonesia would run out of rice when other rice-producing countries closed their export taps.

Therefore, Megawati said it was necessary to plant 10 types of local food crops to accompany rice, such as corn, sweet potatoes, breadfruit, sago and sorghum.

Food crop research is also expected to continue to be carried out to support food security. Megawati encouraged the research team to further examine the uses of plants that are Indonesia's biodiversity for the benefit of the nation.

Meanwhile, Head of BRIN Laksana Tri Handoko said BRIN would improve the research and innovation ecosystem in the country and make scientific evidence-based policy recommendations as a basis for ministries/agencies (K/L) to produce various science-based policies in their respective sectors.

Handoko said that his party will continue to be committed to providing support in the development of research in Indonesia.

BRIN also continues to support science-based policies in Ministries/Agencies in the form of research collaborations, borrowing of human resources (HR) researchers and also assignments for various emergency situations that may occur.