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Researchers complain about lack of funds
Researchers claim there is a lack of funds for adequate research purposes, with only a small fraction of the state budget devoted to funding national research projects
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esearchers claim there is a lack of funds for adequate research purposes, with only a small fraction of the state budget devoted to funding national research projects.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) chairman Lukman Hakim said the ideal amount of funding for research activities was at least 1 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Currently, the country's research fund is only Rp 10.4 trillion (US$869.49 million), which Lukman said was far from sufficient.
'With our current GDP figure, research funding should reach up to Rp 80 trillion,' Lukman said on Tuesday as quoted by kontan.co.id.
Lukman was speaking on the sidelines of a public lecture by president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at LIPI headquarters in South Jakarta.
Meanwhile, LIPI researcher Riefqi Muna said the lack of funds for research had severely dampened the development of Indonesia's education and domestic economy sectors, making it difficult for Indonesia to compete with other nations.
'The lack of funds also disrupts our independence in managing our natural resources. Although we have abundant natural resources, we cannot use them for our own benefit. Such plentiful resources are being exploited by other countries,' Riefqi said.
Jokowi promised to try and allocate more money from the state budget to research, but said the Rp 80 trillion figure was not feasible.
'I won't promise Rp 80 trillion, but I guarantee there will be more funding,' Jokowi said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Jokowi added that increased research funding would definitely benefit the country's education sector, which he aims to develop. He said the government would also reorganize the country's research institutes to provide more benefit for the people. (dyl/nvn)
