During the 2026 Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI) held on Monday (29/6/2026), the President of the Republic of Indonesia highlighted the strategic importance of the role of academics and professors as the main locomotive of the nation's progress. The President emphasized that innovations arising from the research of domestic scientists are the key to addressing economic challenges, including the urgent need to achieve national production independence.
The President expressed disappointment over Indonesia's dependence on imported products in various strategic sectors, ranging from agricultural seeds to automotive. According to him, it is time for Indonesia to optimize the intelligence of its best human resources to produce its own technology. He gave the example of the government's efforts in using domestically made cars as an initial step to spur the courage to innovate, despite facing technical challenges in the early stages of its development.
Drawing lessons from history, the President reminded that the success of a country highly depends on the ability of its elites to cooperate. He observed that countries devastated by internal conflict generally failed to consolidate between groups. Therefore, the President invited the entire academic community to set aside background differences for a greater goal, namely creating economic sovereignty for the common people.
At the end of his speech, the President reaffirmed his commitment to engaging in deeper communication with professors regarding the empirical data and facts he possesses about the nation's condition. He hoped that scientists could study this data scientifically to formulate concrete solutions for the future of the Indonesian economy, while emphasizing that the government remains open to objective, research-based input.
