UNAIR NEWS –– To commemorate the National Technology Awakening Day (HARTEKNAS) 2021, Universitas Airlangga held a webinar on Monday, August 2, 2021. Themed “Innovation, Optimism, and Transformation of Health Services and Mitigation in Pandemic Period,” the webinar was attended by the Director-General of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbud-Ristek) of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Ir. Nizam, M.Sc., Ph.D. as the keynote speaker.
Starting his presentation, Prof. Nizam revealed that the merging of the Kemendikbud-Ristek aims to re-integrate research and community service functions within the scope of higher education. Every research must aim to create new science and technology for the community as well as to form future researcher candidates.
“Since the Higher Education Tri Dharma is an integrated unit, the research and innovations carried out must be based on education to prepare future researcher candidates in addition to creating new technologies that are beneficial to the community,” he said.
He continued that higher education must lead its research into an interaction space with the community. Therefore, a collaborative culture among study programs, faculties, and universities in innovating must be emphasized to create effective innovations.
“I was so proud that UNAIR – ITS succeeded in creating RAISA (Robot Medical Assistant ITS-UNAIR), GeNose C19 by UGM, and also UNAIR’s Red-White Vaccine, which is now leading research,” he said.
This is, he continued, what the Director-General of Higher Education wants to encourage. Intellectual work should not stop in the publication space, but it can be utilized by the community. Therefore, he continued, collaboration with industrial partners and the community is necessary.
“Of course, we are very concerned. Indonesia, which is rich in mineral resources, phytopharmaca, and natural resources, must import almost 90% of medical equipment and medicines. This is a big task for universities to at least reduce our dependence on imports,” said Prof. Nizam.
Prof. Nizam said that without collaboration, universities would only be like crabs in narrow silos. In other words, one university is competing with another and even brings each other down.
“Of course, this is not the kind of ecosystem that should happen among universities,” he said.
He hoped that universities could have the spirit of greasy pole climbing where all help each other. If possible, make sacrifices to realize the success of higher education, i.e., the advancement of Indonesia.
“Some should be willing to be trampled or climbed on just to achieve the prize at the top, the advancement of Indonesia,” he concluded.
Author: Ivan Syahrial Abidin
Editor: Nuri Hermawan (YA/AP)
