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MIT's blueprint and Indonesia's cultural challenges to achieve the 2045 vision
Indonesia faces cultural barriers like short-term focus, hierarchical reliance and risk aversion that challenge direct model replication.
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Generational progress: Students gather to study in this undated handout photo. As students have increasingly begun to pursue entrepreneurship, more universities have created accelerator and incubator programs to support them. (Shutterstock/Yulia Grigoryeva)
W
hat sets global innovation leaders apart, and why is replicating their success so challenging, if not impossible by 2045, for nations like Indonesia?
During the MIT presidential welcome tour in Singapore, president of MIT Sally Kornbluth outlined the key elements that make MIT a global leader in research and innovation. Her presentation emphasized MIT’s strategic vision and the importance of collaborative partnerships to address complex, cross-border challenges such as climate change, public health and technology adaptation.
An example is the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), showcasing MIT’s integration of local expertise to ensure globally relevant innovations that resonate with the unique needs of communities. Kornbluth noted that many look to MIT as a problem-solver for issues in defense, health, technology and beyond.
Kornbluth highlighted MIT’s interdisciplinary environment, which encourages seamless collaboration across fields and fosters a culture driven by curiosity and societal impact. This environment is bolstered by MIT’s infrastructure, supporting the transition of ideas from concept to application.
The entrepreneurial drive is evident even among first-year students who actively pitch their innovative ideas, illustrating how deeply entrepreneurship is embedded in MIT’s ecosystem. This framework sets a benchmark for innovation-driven institutions globally.
A significant focus of the discussion is MIT’s ambitious climate initiatives. Kornbluth described the “Climate Project”, likened to a “Manhattan Project” for sustainability, emphasizing its milestone-driven approach to decarbonizing industries and environmental restoration.
This project shows how mission-oriented strategies can address global issues. Additionally, MIT’s research on energy-efficient AI models underscores the importance of aligning technological progress with environmental responsibility, demonstrating that innovation and sustainability can coexist.
