RISPRO UKICIS is an allowance scheme for Indonesian researchers who want to conduct joint research with the best universities in the UK. UKICIS itself is a consortium consisting of seven universities in Indonesia and the UK with a mission to promote the transfer of technology between the two countries.

During the instigation of RISPRO UKICIS on March 16, 2022, the President Director of LPDP, Andin Haryanto, said that the funding of IDR 44 billion (or USD 3 million) will be used to boost national research on Green Economy, Blue Economy, Digital Technology, Health, and Tourism for four years (2022-2026). RISPRO UKICIS can be accessed freely by universities in Indonesia, regardless of their affiliation to UKICIS.

The Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, stated that the aforementioned sectors are the five objectives of national research in the extent of higher education, as commanded directly by President Joko Widodo. Nadiem emphasized the importance of developing the country’s research sector. Nadiem also expressed his aspiration that programs such as Freedom to Learn–Independent Campus and RISPRO UKICIS itself will transform the nation’s research sector to be more sophisticated and innovative.

The Director General of Diktiristek, Professor Nizam, hoped that RISPRO UKICIS can be utilized to improve research implementations by enhancing its impact on the general public and synergizing it with other educational programs and talent management. He also encouraged the UK government to provide financial support as a continuation to the initiative of the Indonesian government.

Indonesia-UK Bilateral Collaboration in Research and Innovation

The Indonesian Ambassador to the UK, Ireland, and IMO, Desra Percaya, underlined that cooperation in research and innovation is one of the priorities of the bilateral relation between Indonesia and the UK. RISPRO UKICIS is a testament to the government’s commitment in supporting the cooperation between the two countries. In addition, Desra hoped UKICIS will use this opportunity to strengthen the relation between universities in both countries and to empower Indonesian researchers situated in the UK.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Solutions to Global Issues

The Rector of Institut Teknologi Bandung, Prof. Reini Wirahadikusumah, Ph.D., stated in her speech that UKICIS has a mission to help create solutions to global issues. It was also mentioned that the UK has a profound role for ITB, considering the number of publications between ITB and UK exceeded that of ITB and other European universities, such as Germany and France.

UKICIS is a consortium of universities that was founded in August 2020 by scientists and academics from University of Nottingham, University of Warwick, Coventry University, Institut Teknologi Bandung, IPB University, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and Universitas Indonesia. UKICIS has an objective to accelerate the transfer of technology between the UK and Indonesia through interdisciplinary research collaborations.

Coordinator of UKICIS and also an Assistant Professor at University of Nottingham, Dr. Bagus Muljadi, explained that UKICIS is an inclusive consortium that will encompass as many universities in the country as possible that want to collaborate with the best universities in the UK.

Dr. Muljadi expressed his high appreciation to his colleagues from the steering committee of UKICIS that had jointly instigated this unique initiative back in 2021: Dr. Rino R. Mukti (Institut Teknologi Bandung), Dr. I Made Andi Arsana (Universitas Gadjah Mada), Dr. Berry Juliandi (IPB University), Professor Benny Tjahjono (Coventry University), Dr. Irwanda Laory (University of Warwick), and the chief committee of UKICIS, namely Dr. Inaya Rakhmani, Dr. Munawar Khalil, and Dr. Dede Djuhana (Universitas Indonesia).

Source: UKICIS publication
Translator: Ariq Ramadhan Teruna (Faculty of Industrial Technology, 2021)