Comments from Indonesia Perspective on "Cross-border Movement of Researchers and Students " - Workshop II: Regional Development of Human Resources in Asia, presented in "INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIALOGUE", Soukairo Hall, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo - Japan, October 20, 2012.

1. Session 1
Cross-border Movement of Researchers and Students :
Comments from Indonesia Perspective
Dr. Tatang A. Taufik
Deputy Chairman
Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) - Indonesia
Workshop II: Regional Development of Human Resources in Asia
INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIALOGUE
Soukairo Hall, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
Tokyo - Japan, October 20, 2012

2. GENERAL OVERVIEW
1. Unless we also carry out some improvements from international
partnerships that lead to a win-win situation, human mobility
enhancement may worse-off some countries’ brain drain tragedy.
Hence, it may be wise to take a step-by-step approach to this.
2. From a country’s development perspective, any attempts through
policy measures need to bring practical benefits to solve
development or real life problems faced the country. Even from
human resource development activities, there are always high
expectations of real socio-economic impacts. In addition, human
mobility is generally considered as a part of human capital
investment that can make better-off the country’s future.

3. BRAIN DRAIN
1. Emigration of highly qualified STI human resources
(highly educated, experts, scientists, etc.) of a country
2. Migration /urbanization of talented people, usualy from
rural (unattractive regions) to urban areas (more
attractive regions/places)
3. Profession/occupation switching (from previous
developed competency to different career paths)
4. Massive exodus from an R&D organization to other or
different organizations.

4. GENERAL OVERVIEW
1. Focus – Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) or R&D fields as
thematic priorities as the starting agenda : We need to focus on
particular areas and direct the activities to support the green
economy :
a. Fundamentals for development in most of ASEAN countries :
FHEEW+T (Food, Health, Energy, Environment, Water,
Transportation)
b. Very important to support the enhancement of the locality
uniqueness for the sustainable industrial and regional
competitive advantages : agrobased industries, herbal
medicine, creative industries
c. Emerging technologies and cross-sectoral issues :
nanotechnology and advanced material technology;
international region-to-region partnerships.

5. GENERAL OVERVIEW
2. Balanced R&D activities & results : better balanced activities and
results of having novelty in R&D on one side, and of providing
socio-economic impacts of R&D on the other side.
For countries like Indonesia, STI/R&D is important not only to
support ‘new’/modern industries but also to provide significant
contribution to the Bottom of the Pyramid of the society.
3. Longterm partnerships – longterm R&D joint projects : A
longterm partnership framework needs to be designed so that the
policy measures will be coherent and have the appropriate time to
make some significant impacts.
It is also important to provide good lessons that can be learned by
all of the participating countries. General as well as specific
collaborative roadmaps (blueprints) will be valuable to prepare
multiyear partnership schemes.

6. COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
1. Ref. Rec. 1 – A National Single Window Initiative : an
‘online’ visa service based on an integrated and simple
framework and mechanisms needs to be established by
collaborating countries through each country’s embassy’s
or their consulate’s representative offices.
– better and simple access for visa services
– foster STI diaspora networks in the collaborating
countries.

7. STI DIASPORA NETWORKS :
From Brain Drain to Brain Gain HR Mobility
Certain STI
Organizations
Particular
STI Field of
Expertise
(Industry)
Country of Origin
STIHuman
Resource
Movement
Knowledge-based
Contribution

8. COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
2. Ref. Rec. 1 – A (more) Comprehensive/Integrated
Regional Arrangement : a regional arrangement to
facilitate the cross-border movement of human resources
should be considered not as a single and the only policy
measure to foster the partnerships among the countries.
A more comprehensive/integrated policy framework :
facilitating the cross-border movement of human
resources as an integral part of the policy measures.

9. COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
3. Ref. Rec. 2 – The Coverage of professions/occupation
and eligibility in the setting : the term of “engineers”
should be broadly used and agreed to cover STI related
professions such as researchers, planners, students, and
post graduates as they directly involve in R&D and
innovative activities; and make some necessary
adjustment on the qualifications. But to avoid/minimize
the ‘moral hazzards’ and to fulfill national security
necessity, some specific eligibility requirements should
be established and approved.

10. COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
4. Ref. Rec. 2 – The Mutual Recognizition Agreement on
Visa Treatment : Efficient and fair visa treatment scheme
needs to be mutually recognized/approved by partnering
countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Research
and Technology, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of
Trade, and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the
Government of the Republic of Indonesia should be
involved in order to facilitate an agreement on a special
visa treatment for the STI actors.

11. COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
5. Ref. Rec. 3 – Attractive and flexible funding supports :
– Availability
– Accessibility to the funding supports with flexible and
attractive mechanisms
– Funding supports as attractive incentives to resolve
profession brain drain towards brain gain.

12. Dr. Tatang A. Taufik
Deputy Chairman
Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology
Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (BPPT)
Gedung II BPPT, Lt 13
Jl. MH. Thamrin 8, Jakarta 10340 - INDONESIA
Telp. (021)-316 9441 / 9442
Fax. (021)-319 24127
E-mail: tatang.taufik@bppt.go.id
... in harmony we progress ...
Thank You
Gerakan Membangun Sistem Inovasi, Daya Saing
dan Kohesi Sosial di seluruh Wilayah Nusantara
(National movement to develop innovation system,
competitiveness, and social cohesion
through out the Country)