AUSTRALIA

Climate change 

• The Climate Council issued a submission to the ACCC on draft guidance on environmental and sustainability claims.
• ClimateWorks issued ‘Delivering freight decarbonisation: Strategies for reducing Australia’s transport emissions’. 
• The Lowy issued ‘Can UNESCO save the Great Barrier Reef?’
• AIMS issued its 2022-23 annual report. 
• The Lowy issued ‘Global South activists seek a human rights framework for the climate crisis’. 

Research sector 

• The Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities issued a newsletter. 
• Prof Richard Holden, President of ASSA, addressed the National Press Club. ASSA issued a transcript of the address. 
• The ARC congratulated winners of the PM’s Science Prizes. 
• UA said a new migration strategy must do more to harness the skills and talents of international students. 

K2P and K2I 

• IP Australia updated its Patents Manual of Practice and Procedure. 
• AFPA chair Fitzgibbon discussed ‘Truth in Policy – Calling out Extreme Activists’ in a speech. 

GEDSI 

• Chief Scientist Foley discussed ‘The case for more women in quantum’ in a speech. 
• The Lowy issued ‘Empowering women in the Pacific: A collaborative effort to confront online abuse’ by the eSafety Commissioner. 

Geopolitics 

• The Lowy issued ‘Indonesia and its bid for OECD membership’. 
• The NSC issued ‘The ASEAN-Quad partnership in undersea cables: building inclusion, sustainability, and regional connectivity’. 

INDONESIA

Research and Technology

• Researchers from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Center for Ecology and Ethnobiology Research (PREE) delve into ecological research using molecular technology in marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
• PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) has signed an MOU with BRIN to strengthen Indonesia’s satellite technology and remote sensing research-based ecosystem.
• PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA), is collaborating with the Indonesia Endowment Funds for Education (LPDP) and BRIN to develop Merah Putih high-speed trains project. 
• BRIN plans to initiate the development of a domestically-produced dengue fever vaccine in Indonesia using virus-like particle (VLP) technology that triggers the production of antibodies.
• BRIN is collaborating with the Agricultural Instrument Standardization Agency (BSIP) and Bali Province BRIDA to develop organic farming through standardized technological innovations for increasing farmers’ income and the sustainability of rice farming in Bali.
• The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia has collaborated with MilleaLab on the program titled “Enhancing Digital Literacy Competence for Teachers and Educational Staff” to advance the knowledge of Indonesian educators in the digital literacy sector.
• Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Nizam, promoted the cooperation between industry and higher education as he claimed that the awareness of the Indonesian industrial sector to invest in R&D is still the lowest in Southeast Asia.
• The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Organization (OR IPSH), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) held a hybrid KTI Manuscript Publication Seminar, Home Research Collaborations Research Program OR IPSH BRIN 2023.
• The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) states that smallpox vaccination can provide cross-protection against other orthopoxviruses like monkeypox, and three vaccines, MVA-BN, LC16, and OrthopoxVac, have been approved to prevent monkeypox infections.

Research and Funding

• BRIN provides opportunities for Indonesian startups to develop research-based technological products through the Startup Company Based on Research (PPBR) program.
• The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MOECRT) funded research of: Purwokerto Muhammadiyah University student on dry shampoo from torch ginger flowers (Etlingera elatior); the development of filtration technology to reduce iron content in groundwater with the Internet of Things (IoT) technology conducted by Gadjah Mada University (UGM) students, Super Hydrophobic sand mulch created by the Student Creativity Program (PKM) team at the General Soedirman University, the development of Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station (SPKL) by Semarang State Polytechnic (Polines)
• The Vice Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Syarief Hasan, stated that the government should prioritize funds allocation for research and development.
• MOECRT encourages collaboration between universities and industries in the field of research and development by allocating a budget of IDR 750 billion for the 2024 Matching Fund Program.
• As part of its soft diplomacy efforts, Indonesia has facilitated 2,680 foreign students to study in Indonesia from 1992 to the present through the Developing Countries Partnership (KNB) Scholarship Program which was funded by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP).
• The Student Organization Capacity Strengthening Program (PPK Ormawa) of the Student Executive Board of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at Mercu Buana University Yogyakarta has successfully developed a literacy clinic for inclusive communities in Argosari Village, Sedayu, Bantul, called komdasif.co, using funds from the MOECRT.
• The Sleman Regency government, in collaboration with a research team from Universitas Gajah Mada, local agriculture authorities, and LPDP Ministry of Finance’s RISPRO funding, has established a region-based regulatory framework for sustainable organic farming.
• MOECRT plans to open registration for the Class 7 Teaching Campus Program as part of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) policy framework.

Research and Innovation

• A Senior Researcher at the Raw Materials for Drugs and Traditional Medicine Research Center of BRIN stated that medicinal plants of the Andrographispaniculata and Areca catechu species can prevent and control diabetes.
• BRIN is currently developing a booster vaccine for Tuberculosis (TB) using two platforms, namely messenger RNA (mRNA) and virus-like particles (VLP).
• BRIN positively welcomed the existence of the Green Hydrogen Plant (GHP) created by PT PLN.
• BRIN states that Nusantara plans to use twenty percent green hydrogen by 2038 as part of Indonesia’s efforts to achieve net zero emissions (NZE) by 2060. In relation to this, BRIN has also conducted a study on the national strategic roadmap for hydrogen utilization until 2060.
• The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia and BRIN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Synergy of Research and Innovation to Support Agricultural Development in order to build a more effective and efficient food ecosystem in Indonesia to achieve food self-sufficiency.
• The Global Innovation Index notes that Indonesia has experienced a significant increase in its innovation index, moving from the 89^th position in 2020 to the 61^st in 2023. The highest increase occurred in the indicator of collaboration between universities and industry, rising from the 35^th position in 2020 to the fifth position this year.
• BRIN is creating an open platform for research facilities, allowing all integrated facilities to be utilized collaboratively by researchers that benefit BRIN, educational institutions, and the private sector. BRIN is also partnering with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology to develop national talent management to foster excellent human resources.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and the BRIN agreed to develop post-harvest technology to enhance the efficiency of agricultural yields in Indonesia and to create innovations in the field of food, including addressing food loss and waste (FLW) issues.
• BRIN is researching various potential anti-malarial drugs derived from the diverse biodiversity found in Indonesia to counter the emergence of drug-resistant malaria parasites.
• The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) through the Center for Environmental Research and Clean Technology has developed membrane technology that utilizes nanotechnology to separate air and water from pollution.

Research and Women

• The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, the National Commission on Disabilities, and six other ministries have signed the Elimination of Sexual Violence (PKS) for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Educational Units (PPKSP) implementation.
• The Perempuan Maju Indonesia (PIM) held its first National Working Meeting with a focus on food security and promoting national food sovereignty.

Research and Disability

• The Central Information Commission (KIP) has signed an MoU with five institutions, including the National Commission on Disability (KND), to promote information transparency, ensuring that people with disabilities can access proper information.
• The Directorate General of Regional Autonomy at the Ministry of Home Affairs coordinate to facilitate local governments in understanding and accelerating the preparation of regional legal rights related to people with disabilities

Environment and Climate Change (ECC)

• The Indonesian Government and the United Nations (UN) have published 11 studies on climate change, disaster resilience, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts. Indonesia has also  developed mitigation plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the marine sector and expand the use of alternative land areas to prevent deforestation.
• BRIN, in cooperation with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, is collaborating with 21 APEC member countries to address marine debris through the Capacity Building on Vessel Innovation Symposium to Combat Marine Debris in Bali.

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Updates supported by Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA)