A thriving knowledge economy depends on strategic linkages created by a flourishing ecosystem, constructed of government actors, philanthropists, policy research institutes, the private sector corporations all supporting development funding.
Research, essential to any development endeavor, is the building block of a knowledge economy and is still underfunded in Indonesia. The private sector has the potential to play an important role and lead the way in establishment of an effective locally based research system.
But there are positive steps being taken. Recently, The Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI), launched the Indonesian Science Fund, a never-before-seen pool of research funds aimed at increasing the pool of trained research scientists and engineers, and fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.
