AUSTRALIA

Research sector

• Minister Clare issued the major University Accord final report on Sunday 25th February, met with wide responses from across the sector throughout the week. A summary of the report can be found here.
• Universities Australia held its annual event, this time entitled “Solutions Summit” . It included addresses from Minister Clare (Education) and Minister O’Connor (Skills & Training), and numerous discussions on future directions for universities, higher education and research, particularly in light of the University Accord. Attendees were cautiously optimistic about the contents of the Accord, as although it includes a comprehensive collection of suggested changes to the system, significant work still lies ahead for government in unpacking the recommendations, and determining which to take up.

Climate change

• The Climate Council issued an interactive heat map tool.
• The Lowy Institute issued “ASEAN-Australia cooperation in the clean energy transition”, ahead of the 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, 4-6 March.
• The Lowy issued ‘A new global climate finance goal must balance need with political reality’.
• The Climate Council issued ‘The growing toll of climate change on the mental health of Australians’.
• The National Environmental Science program announced a number of new research projects kicking off in 2024, including Marine and Coastal Hub projects, and Climate Systems Hub projects.
• Shadow Minister McDonald addressed a Critical Minerals & Energy conference.
• ASPI issued ‘The ‘critical minerals‘ bubble has seemingly burst. What does it mean for Australia’s geopolitical strategies?’
• The Carbon Markets Institute posted guidance from the Science Based Targets initiative.

Technology

• ACOLA and the Parliamentary Library posted a seminar: ‘Technology and the law – managing intellectual property and copyright in a world of AI’.
• The Copyright Agency posted a position paper from the International Publishers Association on Generative AI and Copyright.
• Centre for Social Impact issued ‘AI’s capacity to democratise knowledge will massively affect social impact outcomes’.

GEDSI

• The Academy of Science announced two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Awards.
• The Business Council of Australia issued a commentary on the gender pay gap data, noting that business welcomes the decline in gender pay gap, but much more work is needed.

INDONESIA

Research and Technology  

• The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology has signed a MoU with the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) Australia to facilitate High-Performance Computing and Data Management.
• Senior Expert Researcher at the Centre for Nuclear Safety Technology Research, Metrology, and Quality of BRIN, Susilo Widodo, has highlighted the potential use of robots to replace humans as operators in nuclear facilities.

Research and Funding

• The 2024 Ministry of Education and Culture Scholarship registration will open in April-May. It is available for undergraduate (S1), master’s (S2), and doctoral (S3) levels, with 1,000-2,000 slots this year.
• The Australian government provides scholarships for Indonesian citizens through the Australia Awards Scholarship. The scholarship application is open until April 30, 2024, without age limit.
• The University of Indonesia (UI) collaborates with more than eighty partners to maximise educational opportunities for students by offering the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) internship programme domestically and internationally.

Research and Innovation

• Researchers at BRIN deliver research and innovation in hydrology for the sustainability of water resources as part of efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) point 6.
• BRIN is committed to supporting the Management of Social Transformations Programme (MOST), initiated by the UNESCO in Indonesia, to generate significant insights and create inclusive, sustainable, research-based policy paradigms and implementable solutions within the scopes of social sciences and humanities in Indonesia.
• The Faculty of Agriculture at Gadjah Mada University is developing modern indoor agriculture with the Smart Agri Plant Factory model.

Environment and Climate Change (ECC) 

• Hidayat, Head of the Centre for Limnology and Water Resources at BRIN, emphasised the significance of monitoring methane dynamics in lakes due to its greenhouse gas implications.
• BRIN’s Environmental Research Group addresses pollution challenges in Lake Batur, Bali, stressing the need for monitoring and introducing a Decision Support System (DSS). The research aims to assess the lake’s status, identify pollution sources, and provide management recommendations.
• Bayu Adjie, Head of BRIN’s Centre for Biosystematics and Evolution, conveyed BRIN’s focus on biodiversity expeditions in Kalimantan. Despite being part of the Wallace Line, Kalimantan lacks biodiversity data, prompting BRIN to prioritise research the in region for the next 3-5 years.
• Amir Hamidy, a Senior Researcher at BRIN’s Centre for Biosystematics and Evolution, highlighted the significant impact of climate change on various species, particularly those associated with water environments.
• The 11^th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Engineering and Application (ICSEEA 2024) brings together global experts, researchers, and industry leaders to discuss strategies for transitioning to a decarbonised society.
• Head of the Centre for Biosystematics and Evolution Research at BRIN, Bayu Adjie, stated that BRIN targets the discovery of 50 new animals, plants, and microorganisms in 2024.
• The Kamojang Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP) has officially become Southeast Asia’s first green hydrogen producer based on geothermal energy for supplying green hydrogen at the Senayan Hydrogen Refuelling Station (HRS).
• The implementation of a circular economy needs to be encouraged in Indonesia because it offers various advantages, such as helping achieve sustainable economic growth, reducing negative environmental impacts, and improving the quality of life for communities.
• The Forest Watch Indonesia Report (2023) states that the development of energy plantation forests (HTE) has resulted in the loss of natural forests covering an area of 55,000 hectares, with an additional 420,000 hectares of remaining natural forests threatened with degradation or deforestation.
• At the Nusantara Sustainability Trend Forum (NATURE Forum 2024) organised by Nusantara TV, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology underscores initiatives like the Jalur Rempah programme to preserve Indonesia’s unique biocultural wealth through maritime spice trade routes.
• Smart farming, integrating sensors, IoT, big data analytics, robotics, and AI, emerges as a strategic response to limited agricultural land in Indonesia.

Research and Licenses

• Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Bambang Soesatyo, emphasised the importance of Indonesia having legislation regulating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the digital ecosystem because the utilisation of AI in Indonesia only refers to the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Document 2020-2045 issued by BRIN.

Research and Women

• The Manuscript, Literature, and Oral Tradition Research Centre (PR MLTL) of BRIN, in collaboration with the Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) of BRIN, organised a discussion and webinar titled “Beauty Care for Indonesian Women: A Blend of Tradition and Science Approach.”

---

Updates supported by Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA)