Swedish Crown Princess Victoria Explores Indonesia’s Genomic Advances

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s growing role in global health innovation was on display as Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin presented the country’s Biomedical and Genome Science Initiative (BGSi) to Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria during her visit to the Eijkman Biomedical and Genomic Health Center in Central Jakarta on Friday, September 4, 2026.

The meeting highlighted Indonesia’s ambition to position genomics not only as a tool for precision medicine but also as a foundation for pandemic preparedness.

Princess Victoria, attending in her capacity as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Honorary Ambassador, expressed keen interest after learning that Indonesia has already launched a national program comparable to initiatives in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East.

Minister Budi explained that genome sequencing, once primarily used to identify viral characteristics, is now being applied to the far more complex human genome.

“Viruses have around 30,000 base pairs, while humans have 2 billion. Understanding DNA allows us to diagnose and treat diseases more precisely,” Minister Budi said, as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia is building a national genomic database, collecting data not only from patients but also from healthy individuals. Current storage capacity stands at 4.5 petabytes, with plans to expand to 10 petabytes.

Supported by UNDP, BGSi has already established 10 dedicated genomic centers and 29 national surveillance laboratories, with a target of sequencing 400,000 genomes by 2030.

Princess Victoria’s four‑day visit to Indonesia will also include Lombok, where she will observe projects in blue economy, indigenous forest conservation, and community resilience. Her engagement underscores how Indonesia’s scientific progress is increasingly recognized as part of its broader sustainable development journey. ***