The Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), through its Research Center for Biomass Valorization (RCBV), organized the Scoping Study on Engineering Biology in ASEAN. The initiative aimed to map the potential, challenges, and opportunities for the development of engineering biology in the Southeast Asian region. The event was held on Thursday (April 9) at the IDE Building and brought together academics, researchers, government representatives, industry players, and funding agencies in a focused group discussion (FGD) forum.
The event commenced with an opening session and program presentation by Prof. Dr. Ing. Misri Gozan, representing the host institution, Universitas Indonesia. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of cross-country collaboration in advancing biomass-based research and biotechnology innovation.
An official address was also delivered by the Dean of FTUI, Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., who reaffirmed FTUI’s commitment to supporting the development of sustainable technologies. He highlighted that Engineering Biology is a rapidly growing field globally and holds strategic importance for Indonesia. “Our challenge lies not only in resource availability, but also in how we integrate research, regulation, funding, and industrialization into a cohesive and sustainable ecosystem,” he stated.
“This FGD is highly important as it brings together perspectives from government, researchers, industry, and funding bodies to build a strong and integrated innovation ecosystem. We hope that the outcomes of this series of activities will serve as a robust, evidence-based policy brief and provide strategic contributions to the development of Engineering Biology in Indonesia and the ASEAN region,” added Prof. Kemas.
In the main session, participants received a presentation on the introduction of FCDO-funded research through an initial study on engineering biology in ASEAN, delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Zulkhairi Mohd Yusoff from Universiti Putra Malaysia. The presentation provided an overview of the regional research and development landscape in engineering biology.
The program continued with the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Session 1 on Landscaping Assessment. Participants were divided into four groups representing government, researchers, industry, and funding agencies. The discussion focused on the current state of the engineering biology ecosystem, including technological capabilities, talent availability, infrastructure, policies and regulations, as well as economic and funding structures.
Following a short break, the event proceeded to FGD Session 2, which addressed coordination among ASEAN member countries. This session explored collaboration opportunities, existing gaps, key challenges, and the formulation of joint action plans to strengthen the development of engineering biology in the region.
The event concluded with a plenary session summarizing key discussion points from all groups, followed by closing remarks from Misri Gozan. In his closing statement, he expressed hope that the outcomes of this scoping study would serve as a foundation for developing concrete and sustainable collaborative strategies at the ASEAN level.
Through this initiative, FTUI once again demonstrated its role as a catalyst for regional collaboration in research and innovation. It is expected that synergy among academia, government, industry, and funding institutions will accelerate the advancement of engineering biology as a sustainable solution for the future of the ASEAN region.
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Public Communication Office
Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia
