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LIPI struggles with limited budget every year: Envoy
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Precious collection: Thousands of microbe species are stored at the Indonesian Culture Collection (INACC), a microbe storage center owned by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in Cibinong, West Java. (JP/Theresia Sufa)
T
he Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) strives to tackle the same problems every year, namely its limited budget, the institute’s envoy said on Wednesday.
The LIPI’s ambassador of scientific information, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, said the budget allocation to support LIPI researchers had never been more than 0.25 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Rieke said as a House of Representatives member, she would continue to push for the government to raise the budget allocation for scientific research, Antara reported.
“Among other countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has the lowest amount [of research funds]. Even Vietnam and the Philippines have allocated more money for science,” she said, asserting that the ideal percentage of research funds was 2.5 of the total GDP.
“In the 1960s, the government allocated Rp 240 billion [US$17.7 million] for research, which was 1.1 percent of the GDP. We should continue to urge our leaders to pay more attention to research,” said Rieke.
Rieke said research should be treated as the backbone of the country’s development. Research is based on science and should be aimed at improving many sectors in the country, she went on.
Meanwhile, LIPI acting chairman Bambang Subiyanto said the institute would see a small increase in its budget allocation in 2018.
“The research budget will increase by 18 percent or around Rp 1.41 billion [$104,266,” he said. (vla/ebf)
