RI launches "Kosabangsa 2026" to boost research on food, energy

to strengthen the universities' role in addressing the needs of community

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology on Tuesday launched a programme called Social Collaboration to Build Communities or "Kosabangsa 2026" to prioritise the resolution of strategic issues in food, energy, and health areas.

"This programme is designed to strengthen the universities' role in addressing the needs of community through collaboration, implementation of research findings, and innovation," Director of Research and Community Development I Ketut Adnyana said during the virtual launch in Jakarta on Tuesday.

In 2025, Ketut reported the programme had generated interest with 624 proposals submitted, of which 118 were funded with a total budget of more than Rp30.1 billion.

The funded projects covered food security, health, energy, as well as green and blue economy initiatives, focusing on disaster-prone and technology-assistance regions.

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In 2026, he said, the programme will be strengthened to emphasise its collaboration, impact, and sustainability, rather than short-term community service alone.

Kosabangsa 2026 will target disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, as well as areas facing extreme poverty, stunting, and disaster risks.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Fauzan said the programme proposed by lecturers and researchers must be sustainable and deliver direct benefits for community welfare.

"Professors and researchers should not only propose programmes, but also include funding contributions, even if it is small. I think this approach is important for us to implement," Fauzan said.

He also stressed the importance of inclusiveness of the programme, urging universities to collaborate with external stakeholders, so that innovation benefits can be more widely distributed.

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Translator: Sean Filo Muhamad, Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak

Editor: Fransiska Ninditya

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