At the request of Ristek Dikti, the Newton Fund was ‘re-launched’ on 23rd March by the Ristek Dikti Minister, Mhd Nasir, and British Ambassador Moazzam Malik, under the new name UK-Indonesia Science and Technology Fund. The 12 winners of the 2015 Newton Fund Institutional Links and Researcher Links calls were announced and awarded certificates. All the participating Indonesian institutions were in attendance. The Minister emphasized the need to improve Indonesia’s research capacity by collaborating with international institutions.

Source: face to face meetings to prepare for the launch and launch attendance

Commentary by: Teresa Birks, British Council Indonesia, Director Education and Society, teresa.birks@britishcouncil.or.id

The event marks a new enthusiasm and commitment by Ristek Dikti to collaborate with the UK and the Indonesian government’s concrete support of the Newton Fund. All competitor countries have been finding it difficult to make headway with the new ministry, particularly in terms of generating concrete outcomes, so we should view the Minister’s commitment to the UK-Indonesia Science and Technology Fund with cautious optimism. For reference, the Ristek Dikti Director General for Research and Development Strengthening Muhammad Dimyati, worked very hard to make this re-launch and re-branding happen and is very serious about promoting a more dynamic research ecosystem in Indonesia.