Research University as set out in the Draft of Higher Education Institution Bill requires that 25 percent of operational funding comes from research activities, industrial cooperation, and intellectual property rights. Then, the college must also generate 50 doctorates per year.
Former Director General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture Indonesia, Prof. Ir. Bambang Soehendro, M.Sc., Ph.D., said such condition makes it very difficult to produce more research universities. Although a number of universities have identified themselves as research universities, the condition of the university in concern is certainly far from being qualified. "The higher education has been burdened to collect their own funds, by 25 percent at a minimum. This idea is not reasonable, unfair," said Bambang Suhendro in a discussion on UGM Research and Service, Monday (2/1).
Speaking in front of the lecturers and researchers at UGM, Bambang Suhendro said research universities in developed countries have most of the funds coming from the government. Meanwhile, sponsors from the industry are less than 10 percent in average of the total needed for research expenses. For universities in the United States, for example, the funds source of most research and development come from the federal government, research and development funds from the federal government amount to 64.6 percent, research funding from industry is always below 10 percent, and 16, 6 percent of its own funds.
According to Bambang Suhendro, the Bill should have been finished by the House of Representatives two years ago, but the fact is that it has not yet been completed. "I hope in the year 2012, the Higher Education Institution Bill would already be completed and enacted," said the Professor of the UGM Faculty of Engineering.
Meanwhile, Dean of UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Dr. Ir. Djagal Wiseso Marseno, M. Agr., mentioned government-assisted research funding for universities is very small, for example, the research budget from the 2009 National Budget is under 0.5 percent. While in fact, even the research budget back in year 1969 reached 3 percent. "The research budget continues to fall consistently below 1 percent of the budget," he said.
Apart from funding issues, state universities should produce quality research. This is seen in terms of the number of more state universities experts than in research institutes, such as the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and BPPT. Another issue related to state university research, the university has not been able to organize research in synergy between research universities, faculties and departments. Each is running on its own. "The mandate of research from universities, faculties, departments is that they should have a straight line in policy, thus there is efficiency in the research," added Djagal Wiseso.
Chairman of the UGM Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Prof. Dr. Ir. Danang Parikesit, M.Sc., said LPPM still continue to do the coordination, facilitation, and implementation of research and community service to deal with the dynamic changes in the education sector. "Changes in regulation and government institutions in this sector should be handled with preparedness, not with resistance and complaints," he concluded.