RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Finance, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, affirmed that the State Budget (APBN) will continue to be directed as the main instrument to strengthen national economic independence thru the development of science, technology, research, and talent-based industrialization.

He said the government is committed to keeping the state budget healthy, credible, and sustainable so that it can function as an instrument of economic stabilization while also being a driver of productivity, investment, and the improvement of public welfare.

"Through this KSTI forum, the government invites universities, research institutions, and the industrial world to strengthen collaboration in producing science-based economic policies that provide real benefits for national development," Purbaya said at the Indonesia Science, Technology, and Industry (KSTI) Convention 2026 in Jakarta, Sunday, June 28, 2026.

According to him, achieving the Golden Indonesia Vision 2045 as one of the world's five largest economic powers requires high economic growth supported by the development of superior human resources (HR), industrialization, job creation, and the growth of entrepreneurs and innovation-based startups.

In line with these efforts, the government continues to strengthen talent development thru the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) combined with social sciences, humanities, arts, religion, and economics (SHARE).

To support this policy, the Ministry of Finance continues to strengthen human resource development thru various strategic programs. Starting in 2026, around 80 percent of LPDP scholarships will be focused on STEM fields and strategic industries, including food, energy, health, digitalization, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, downstreaming, maritime, and advanced manufacturing.

Amid the dynamics of the global economy, Purbaya stated that Indonesia's economic fundamentals remain intact. National economic growth in the first quarter of 2026 reached 5.61 percent with an inflation rate of 3.08 percent. This stability is supported by a trade surplus, adequate foreign exchange reserves, strong credit growth, and a manufacturing sector that remains in the expansive zone.

"The government will continue to maintain economic stability thru adaptive fiscal policies so that the state budget can protect the public from various global risks while also sustaining economic growth momentum," he said.