“Let’s strengthen our research. The President said yesterday that someone must win a Nobel Prize in the next 20–30 years and be ranked among the world’s top 100,” Yuliarto said at the launch of the Priority Research Program for the 2026 Fiscal Year here on Tuesday.
“So, as a large country, we must not lose out to our neighbors. This is a matter of national pride,” he added.
Yuliarto emphasized that strong cooperation among academics must be strengthened to achieve this target.
“Let’s collaborate. To compete with Malaysia, which is ranked 88th, and Singapore, which is in the top 20, we cannot work alone. We need to work together,” he said.
He noted that research collaboration is a common practice among academics in developed countries.
“Let’s collaborate, let’s work together. If we don’t have the equipment, that should not be an obstacle. We can borrow it from other campuses,” he added.
Yuliarto admitted that he often asked fellow academics abroad for assistance in conducting special measurements using equipment that Indonesia does not yet have.
“Actually, there are many ways if we are willing to try. But the key is persistence,” he stated.
President Prabowo Subianto previously instructed the minister to enhance human resources in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The President also asked the ministry to push the University of Indonesia (UI) into the ranks of the world’s top 100 universities.
Prabowo said that UI’s position in the top 200 of the QS university rankings would serve as a driver for other universities, such as the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), and the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), to increase their global competitiveness.
“For the first time, UI has entered the top 200 of the QS university rankings. But I ask the Minister of Education, Science, and Technology, and the deputy ministers, to push UI into the top 100. Is it possible? It must be possible,” President Prabowo said.
Related news: President Prabowo targets UI's rise into world's top 100 universities
Related news: Minister calls for cooperatives universities, banks to boost economy
Translator: Katriana
Editor: M Razi Rahman
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
