"Indonesia is said to rank second in biodiversity in the world after Brazil. If (calculated) with the marine (biodiversity), we are Number 1. However, we have a weakness because we have not explored everything," he said at the BRIN office in Jakarta on Friday.
According to him, Indonesia has so far not explored and utilized all its biodiversity wealth.
To achieve this end, biotechnology research is an opportunity that must be pushed by Indonesia because of the country's advantage in biodiversity, he stressed.
He cautioned that if Indonesia does not accelerate the strengthening of research and innovation in this area, it will be left behind.
The BRIN has carried out various efforts to conduct exploration activities, both on land and at sea, to collect data on biodiversity for research purposes.
One of the efforts, he said, has been the deployment of three research vessels that continue to sail to explore the Indonesian ocean to collect data on marine biodiversity.
"Not only BRIN, we are open to academicians from all universities," he added.
The agency is also ready to support the biotechnology research ecosystem through the various advanced research facilities that it possesses.
However, he admitted that so far, Indonesia still has limited human resources for research, both in terms of quality and quantity, especially in the field of biotechnology.
For that reason, Handoko urged young researchers to improve their knowledge and capacity to participate in advancing biotechnology research in Indonesia.
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Translator: Sean Filo, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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