RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia and the United Kingdom are strengthening collaboration to accelerate the translation of health research into practical innovations that can benefit the public. The initiative was highlighted at the Indonesia–United Kingdom Research Translation Forum 2026, in Jakarta on Wednesday, 5 March 2026 and organized by Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology in partnership with the British Council.

Director General of Research and Development at the ministry, Fauzan Adziman, said the partnership aims to move beyond academic publications toward research that produces tangible solutions for society.

“We are now focusing on challenge-based research programs. We want research to be multidisciplinary and built on collaboration among institutions and partners,” Fauzan said, as quoted from the ministry’s official website.

He added that strategic partnerships with institutions in the UK could help strengthen researchers’ capacity, facilitate technology transfer, and expand collaborative research funding models. According to him, the initiative is designed to address key national challenges, including improving healthcare services in Indonesia.

Director General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices at Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, Lucia Rizka Andalucia, emphasized that Indonesia holds a significant role in the partnership due to its growing scientific capacity and ongoing regulatory reforms.

“In this context, Indonesia and the United Kingdom are not merely collaborators, but complementary partners across the translational spectrum,” she said.

She noted that aligning strengths at specific Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) would allow both countries to jointly develop, validate, and deliver health innovations that are scientifically robust, commercially viable, and socially impactful.

Meanwhile, researcher Reza Yuridian Purwoko from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) highlighted the strategic value of combining the two countries’ strengths. According to Reza, the UK has strong capabilities in mature clinical research delivery and well-established pathways for adopting medical innovations. Indonesia, on the other hand, offers advantages through its large and diverse population, urgent healthcare needs, and rich biodiversity.

“Our collaboration focuses on TRL levels four to six, which include validation, clinical testing, and scaling up innovations,” he said.

Through cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Health, BRIN, and international partners, the initiative is expected to create a more inclusive innovation pathway while accelerating Indonesia’s health sovereignty on the global stage.