UNAIR NEWS – As an effort to bridge and align the development of science and technology in higher education, the Ministry of Education and Culture, through its Directorate General of Higher Education, has opened a selection of proposals through the Matching Fund 2021 program through a platform called https://kedaireka.id/. Through this program, a strategic collaboration will be created to solve the problems in business and the industrial world (DUDI) and the community and have the opportunity to get a Matching Fund of a total of IDR 250 billion.
Responding to the program, UNAIR Startup Business and Incubation Development Board (BPBRIN) invited UNAIR lecturers and researchers to a dissemination event held on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, via a zoom conference. In line with the vision of Independent Campus, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Community Development Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih. Dra., M.Si., explained that lecturers and their research team are required to involve students in the Matching Fund program. Hopefully, with this involvement, students can learn about the industry, business, and work environment (IDUKA).
“Through the Matching Fund, all lecturers and researchers from faculties, institutes, and research centers together with the industry, partners, and other universities are expected to develop downstream research. This program will link and match with the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Freedom of Learning,” said Prof. Nyoman.
Prof. Nyoman continued that UNAIR has made many efforts in terms of downstreaming, so UNAIR needs to strengthen these efforts. Besides that, she continued, Prof. Nasih suggested the Minister of Research and Technology / National Agency for Research and Technology not to stop at the prototype and continue with the manufacturing process.
“Please, researchers that have planning or research on handling the Covid19 pandemic, please submit it to LPPM. It will get the budget directly from UNAIR. Kemenristek currently holds two excellent programs; in addition to the National Research Program (PRN), there is an excellent research program related to the handling of Covid-19,” she said.
Research topics related to pandemics can be submitted and adjust to the National Agency for Research and Innovation. There are five research categories, supporting health tools, screening, prevention, medicine, and therapy, and the last one is Social and Humanities.
“For these five themes, Rector has welcomed submission, and the budget will be concentrated in the LPPM. UNAIR can facilitate UNAIR lecturers’ creativity, ideas, and research so they can strengthen researches in handling Covid 19, products that are ready to flow, and policies can be strengthened through industrial links,” she said.
UNAIR Excellence Program
Based on the announcement of the Ministry of Research and Technology / National Agency for Research and Technology in 2021 regarding the 2021 BOPTN (State Higher Education Operational Assistance) for PTN BH, out of 12 Indonesian PTN BH, UNAIR was ranked 4th with a budget of 39.1 M. with five proposals; they are
1. Dento E-Nose Instrument for Non-Invasive Early Detection of Dental & Oral Diseases,
2.Intraperitoneal Anti Adhesion Biomaterial for Digestive Organ Suturing Surgery Case,
3. Genetic rescue of local goats through Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis as an Effort for Conservation and Food Security,
4. Microfiber-based Fiber Optic Sensor for Detection of Mineral Levels (ZN) in Food Supplements, and
5. Electrostimulator Therapy Dose Control System Automation.
“The Minister of Research and Technology appreciates this excellence program because it has no similarities in other places and shows that UNAIR is strong in the fields of health, science, and life science,” she said.
Matching Fund
After Prof. Nyoman’s presentation, Prof. Tjitjik Srie Tjahjandarie, Ph.D, explained the Matching Fund 2021 Program’s technicalities. Proposal submission opens from January 25 to June 30, 2021, through kedaireka.id platform. The university can cooperate with business and industrial parties (DUDI) registered on the platform.
“Because it is still the first period, the maximum funds can be increased so that it can optimize the funds,” said Prof. Tjitjik.
Funding is determined through a proposal selection process that is not competed one another, but first come first served. There are three criteria for assessing program eligibility, and the program must have a transformational impact on higher education, solve DUDI problems, and involve students.
There are five scopes in the Matching Fund program: commercialization, community empowerment, building startups with students, strengthening Research Centers, and opening new programs relevant to DUDI’s needs.
“Focus on one selected scope, the roadmap and design must be able to achieve the Main Performance Indicators (IKU), opportunities, and potential for implementation of Independent Campus,” said the Professor of FST UNAIR who is part of the Matching Fund Program Development Team.
The requirements are that the head of the proposer must be an active lecturer in academic programs at the universities, alignment of track records with the collaboration program, and universities and DIDU are registered in Kedaireka. The lecturers are not currently continuing studies or other academic activities because the project runs for a year. (*)
Author: Dimar Herfano
Editor: Feri Fenoria
