The World Economic Forum has flagged a global trend showing failures in managing climate change-induced natural disasters and extreme weather phenomena. Moreover, the depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation continue to affect human life, with these impacts anticipated to persist for the next decade.
Hence, there’s a pressing need for a shift in development focus, particularly in Indonesia, aligning with the global megatrend projected for 2045. Indonesia has already embarked on reorienting its development vision towards Vision 2045, prioritizing research in economics and sustainable development.
Dr. Didi Rustam, the Commitment Maker Officer of the Matching Fund Program at the Directorate General of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, emphasized this during his virtual address at the UGM Innovation Insight event: Accelerating Innovation through Strengthening Strategic Partnerships, held at the UGM Faculty of Engineering on Thursday (Jan. 25).
The UGM Innovation Insight event aimed to fortify partnerships with higher education institutions under the Ministry of Education and assess the Research Funding Program within the Kedaireka Matching Fund Program in 2023 and its outlook for 2024.
Dr. Didi Rustam explained that the Directorate of Higher Education allocates funds annually and manages these funds to expedite innovation and technology through leading innovators and inventors in higher education. The focus areas include the green economy, blue economy, health self-reliance, and tourism enhancement.
The Matching Fund Program concentrates on translating expertise and innovation into tangible products. The ultimate goal is the actualization of expertise or innovation products. This program aims to catalyze action and address issues in Indonesia and globally.
“In its third year, the Matching Fund Program has seen active participation from UGM, ranking among the top universities in proposal submissions and successful fundraising from partners,” he noted.
Professor Supriyadi, the UGM Vice-Rector for Human Resources and Finance, added that the Matching Fund Program expedites innovative ideas from UGM lecturers and researchers, propelling research outcomes downstream to impact society and academia.
Therefore, it fosters a penta-helix collaboration between universities, researchers, government/local government, and the industrial sector to advance research and the application of research findings.
“The program involves at least two stakeholders: the government and the industrial sector. For every government-allocated rupiah, an equivalent amount is expected from the industrial sector. This ensures robust research programs that yield results directly benefiting Indonesian society, either through direct implementation or via the business sector, in the form of products or services,” he underscored.
The dissemination of UGM’s research aims to foster a deeper understanding among various stakeholders regarding the importance of research and innovation, fostering stronger connections between UGM and the business world, industry, and central and local governments.
The 2023 Matching Fund dissemination shared research findings and highlighted key discoveries.
“Moreover, several studies projected potential collaborations, innovation dissemination, and insights from research outcomes,” he added.
Professor Supriyadi noted that the Matching Fund Program commenced in 2022 and entered its second year in 2023. In the inaugural year (2022), UGM submitted the most approved proposals, although distribution was not uniform across faculties and schools.
“Approximately 15 faculties and schools partook in preparing and submitting proposals and conducting research,” he said.
In 2023, UGM didn’t secure the highest funding but showcased multiple research results that garnered accolades in various categories. These included first place in the universities with the most innovations, second place in the green economy field, and third place in health self-reliance.
“We aim to continue the outreach in 2024, hoping for increased proposal submissions to secure more funds. Once again, through this matching fund program and its resources, research ideas can be nurtured and developed, demonstrating tangible progress for Universitas Gadjah Mada,” he concluded.
Author: Agung Nugroho