Of the 100 technological innovations produced by researchers from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) over the last five years, only four have made it to the market.

The four are a water meter, microbes for making fermented soybean cakes (tempe), electric fuel treatment for motorcycles and battery-operated motorcycles.

The remaining inventions may end up in the institute's vaults or a museum -- a possibility which would be a self-fulfilling prophecy. At the opening of the LIPI Expo on Monday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla warned the institute not to atrophy into a "museum" for a collection of impractical technologies.

Anung Kusnowo, former LIPI deputy for technical sciences, said most of the institute's inventions remained unused because of financial constraints to market them, as well as a lack of interest from local industries in developing LIPI's technologies.

"Research remains research. Even the government seems unwilling to develop our findings," he said on the sidelines of the LIPI Expo, which concluded Wednesday.

"That's why people should not expect too much from LIPI, as long as local industries remain in favor of imported products and the government takes no action to promote the use of local products."

He added LIPI had produced numerous technologies to counter the ongoing energy crisis, including the use of alternative energies from non-oil and gas resources.

Anung presented renewable energy sources such as a coal bracket, which relies on low-calorie coal or solar cells.

"We have so far registered seven patents in energy-related technologies with the intellectual property rights office," he said.

"But if there is no change in government policy or funding, it is quite possible LIPI will indeed become a museum," he said.

During the LIPI Expo, the institute exhibited 100 prototypes of products invented over the last five years in the fields of food, health, energy and transportation, information technology, security and defense, the environment and natural resources.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) said local industries were unfamiliar with LIPI inventions because of a lack of publicity.

"You need to boost the marketing budget for your findings so you can reach the business players," Kadin executive Ketut Swardana Linggih told the LIPI conference.

LIPI said the lack of financial support from the government and private sectors had hampered the development of new technologies in the country.

LIPI deputy chairman Lukman Hakim said local industries had yet to fulfill their obligation to allocate some of their profits to research and development.

Only Rp 51 billion is provided by some 9,000 companies across Indonesia each year for research and development programs.

"It is far lower than advertising spending, which amounts to Rp 40 trillion."

Business players in countries such as China, India, Japan and South Korea contribute up to 70 percent of the country's research and development budget.

Best young researchers

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) announced Wednesday its list of the best young researchers in the fields of culture and society, economics, science, engineering and health.

* Best researcher in culture and society: Reni Nuryanti, a postgraduate student at Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University.

* Best researcher in economics and management issues: Putu Anom Mahadwartha, a lecturer at Surabaya University.

* Best researcher in natural science and the environment: Veinardi Suendo, a lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology.

* Best researcher in engineering: Ratno Nuryadi, a researcher at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

* Best researcher in medical and health sciences: Supangat, a researcher at Jember University in East Java.

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