Jakarta (ANTARA) - Strengthening collaboration among stakeholders, as a form of the spirit of independence, can help the nation recover faster and rise stronger amid the pandemic and global crisis, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has said.

“(We must continue to) Build collaboration or synergy between various parties to continue to encourage productivity, creativity, and professionalism in every profession, including researchers at BRIN," Head of the Governance, Economy and Public Welfare Research Organization at BRIN Dr. Agus Eko Nugroho said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Friday.

Indonesia is continuing to move forward in the midst of the health and economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing global crisis, he added.

"The crisis must be turned into an opportunity, and for that, Indonesia, with the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation), has increased synergy or collaboration between stakeholders, including the government, ministries/agencies, the private sector, industry, and the community, to accelerate the recovery of the Indonesian nation," he said.

Collaborative research by BRIN researchers, universities, and the business or industrial world will accelerate the innovation of inventions that will ultimately strengthen the competitiveness of the national production sector, he added.

Good collaboration between researchers and policy makers, Nugroho said, is also very important for ensuring the effectiveness of public policies and the quality of public services in all sectors.

The commemoration of the 77th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence is themed “Recover Faster, Rise Stronger.”

Head of BRIN Laksana Tri Handoko earlier said that Indonesia has strengthened research and innovation related to food, energy, and health sovereignty.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has provided valuable lessons so that we can focus more on research based on local natural ingredients, Indonesia's wealth, especially food and energy products, as well as health," he added.

Therefore, one of BRIN's main priorities is to conduct research and produce technology as well as innovations to encourage Indonesia to achieve food and energy sovereignty.

The research and innovation would be geared toward increasing food productivity, developing high-yielding crop varieties, increasing the added value of food products, as well as finding and utilizing Indonesian natural local materials for health purposes, and the production of medicines.

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Translator: Martha H, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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