MEDAN - USU PUBLIC RELATIONS: The Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) was awarded as BRIN's Top Collaborator, with 238 scholarly outputs in two main subject areas, namely Environmental Science and Material Science. In addition, four USU lecturers also received awards as BRIN 2024 Top Collaborators, which were handed over directly by the Head of BRIN, Laksana Tri Handoko, in the Academic Senate Room of the USU Rector Bureau Building on Thursday (24/10/2024).

The award is based on the highest number of publications with BRIN, obtained by Prof. Dr. Apri Heri Iswanto, S.Hut, M.Si, from the Faculty of Forestry with 53 joint publications, Dr. Arida Susilowati, S.Hut, M.Si, from the Faculty of Forestry with 21 joint publications, Prana Ugiana Gio, S.Si., M.Si, from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences with 16 joint publications, and Prof. Mohammad Basyuni, S.Hut., M.Si., Ph.D, from the Faculty of Forestry who also produced 16 joint publications.

USU Rector, Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos, M.Si, in his speech delivered online expressed his gratitude to BRIN for the award. The Rector hopes that cooperation with BRIN can continue and increase quantitatively and qualitatively.

“The extraordinary achievements of the BRIN 2024 Top Collaborator awardees should inspire, motivate and be followed by other USU lecturers. The BRIN 2024 Top Collaborator award is an important moment and recognition of the dedication, hard work, and great contribution of lecturers who have become the driving force of research and innovation in Indonesia, which includes lecturers at the Universitas Sumatera Utara. The BRIN 2024 Top Collaborator award is clear evidence that intensive and directed collaborative work can have a major impact on the development of science and technology in the country,” said the USU Rector.

The award presentation was coupled with a public lecture that presented the Head of BRIN, Laksana Tri Handoko, as the sole speaker. The presentation continued with a talk show in session II in the afternoon. The theme presented in the public lecture was how to “Strengthen the Research and Innovation Ecosystem for Advanced Indonesia”. Also attending the event were Deputy of Human Resources for Science and Technology, Edy Giri Rachman Putra, Ph.D, Director of Research and Innovation Funding, Dr. Ajeng Arum Sari, Vice Rector II and III of USU, deans of faculties within USU, director of USU Graduate School, vice deans I and III of faculties, directors, secretaries and managers of directorates, and a number of other institutional leaders.

According to Prof. Muryanto, research and innovation are two key elements in the development of a nation. Facing increasingly complex global challenges, countries that are able to encourage research-based innovation will be at the forefront in achieving sustainable progress. Indonesia, with its abundant natural resources and young and dynamic population, has a great opportunity to become an advanced and highly competitive country at the international level, provided that we are able to optimize the research and innovation ecosystem, especially those in higher education.

“Strengthening the research ecosystem is not only about increasing the amount of research conducted but also ensuring that the research is relevant to the needs of society, has a real impact, and is supported by cross-disciplinary collaboration and cooperation between academia, industry, and government. Innovation is born from research that not only finds solutions to today's problems but also offers a new vision for a better future,” said the USU Rector.

The Rector hopes that the public lecture can open the participants' insights on how to build a strong research ecosystem that is able to encourage innovation in various sectors, ranging from technology and health to energy and education. By establishing a good synergy between universities and stakeholders, as well as other supporting institutions, we can ensure that the research and innovations produced are not only oriented towards publications but will also make a real and significant contribution to Indonesia's economic, social, and environmental development. (RJ)