Introduction

On 28 April 2021, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) dissolved the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristek-Dikti) and bestowed the authority to oversee research in the country upon the National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, or BRIN). He also replaced Bambang Brodjonegoro as the head of BRIN, with Laksana T. Handoko, who was previously the head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

During his speech in front of Indonesian scientists in Busan, South Korea (25 November 2019), Jokowi stated that in the second term of his presidency, besides continuing the building of infrastructure, research and innovation would be his other focus and priority. He also revealed that he had established BRIN and that he hoped that it would become a “grand house” for national research.Research institutions and various research agencies in some ministries, including their budgets, will be consolidated into BRIN. Currently, Indonesia has in total a large budget for research and innovation, around Rp26 trillionor US$69 million per year.This is however “scattered” or distributed to several ministries and research agencies which sometimes conducted overlapping research.Indonesia is also considered as having a low level of innovation. Based on the Global Innovation Index, Indonesia ranks 85th out of 131 countries. In Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, Indonesia ranks 14th out of 17 countries.This has been a cause for worry among its leaders; without effective research and innovation, Indonesia cannot compete in the global arena.

To overcome shortcomings in national research and innovation, Jokowi issued Presidential Decree No. 33 of 2021 (28 April 2021) and then revised it with Presidential Decree No. 78 of 2021 (24 August 2021) on BRIN. One point in the decree states that all research agencies, such as LIPI, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), and research agencies in some ministries will be merged, or “integrated”, to use the official term, into BRIN.

Following the dissolution of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristek-Dikti) and the appointment of L.T. Handoko as the head of BRIN, there were some simultaneous discussions on the future of research and innovation in the country under the umbrella of BRIN.