IIASA Director General Albert van Jaarsveld and Interim Deputy Director General for Science Wolfgang Lutz, recently met with H.E. Damos Dumoli Agusman, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to Austria, Slovenia, the United Nations, and other International Organizations in Vienna, to discuss the ongoing collaboration between IIASA and Indonesia.
Indonesia, a tropical archipelago renowned for its vast tropical forests, faces a distinctive challenge as it strives to balance forest and landscape restoration with economic growth predominantly driven by agricultural expansion. Systems analysis is an ideal approach to tackle these complex and interrelated concerns, which led the country to join IIASA in 2012 represented by the Indonesian National Committee for IIASA (INCASA). Recent changes in the way Indonesia’s science system is structured is being explored to strengthen collaboration moving forward.
During the visit to the Indonesian embassy in Vienna, H.E. Agusman advised that the newly established Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is currently responsible for bilateral and multilateral scientific collaboration with Indonesia. The Indonesian Embassy will facilitate IIASA inquiries regarding future collaboration.
Van Jaarsveld highlighted the many fruitful collaborations between IIASA and Indonesian partners over the past decade in various research domains, including the examination of global energy systems and the pursuit of a viable transition towards sustainable energy sources and sustainable cities. Further collaborations between researchers from IIASA and Indonesian research institutions have focused on, among others, devising strategies for sustainable agriculture and land management, enhancing resilience in the face of natural disasters, and deepening our understanding of air quality while striving for improvements. Several young Indonesian researchers have also benefited from the institute’s various capacity building activities – specifically the Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) and postdoctoral fellowships – over the years.
Apart from H.E. Dr. iur. Damos Dumoli Agusman, Indonesia was represented by Harditya Suryawanto and Arief Bramono, who both serve as Counsellors of Bilateral Affairs; and Dimas Irawan, Science Attaché for the Indonesian Embassy, who will assist in facilitating correspondence around future cooperation.
© Photo courtesy of Kbri Wina
Left to right: Ansa Heyl, Wolfgang Lutz, Anastasia Aldelina Lijadi, Albert van Jaarsveld, H.E. Damos Dumoli Agusman, Harditya Suryawanto, Arief Bramono, and Dimas Irawan
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