World-class Microbial Resource Center
- Re-evaluating and developing bioresources in Indonesia -

Dr. SUZUKI

"NITE has already been working with LIPI on joint research projects for six years. Indonesia was keen to make good use of the achievements of that collaboration by concentrating all the country's microbial resources in a single key domestic entity that could be extended and managed as required instead of conducting research through the sort of agreements between NITE and LIPI that we have used in the past. The policy of the owner of the bioresources (the country) taking responsibility for proper management of those resources is becoming increasingly vital for resource preservation in countries throughout Asia, not just Indonesia."

Dr. SUZUKI

"One of the things that we constantly consider in our work is how the people of Indonesia can learn that the country's microbial resources are valuable assets, are important for daily life and for industry. I would like to see the Indonesian people acquire the technology and knowledge of taxonomy so as to be able to accurately recognize and identify these assets independently, not just in the context of R&D targeting their utilization. In Japan, people have used microbes to make rice wine and to ferment beans since ancient times, producing long-term profit-spinners for the food sector. Indonesia also has traditional fermented food products such as tempeh, based on soybeans, so I have firm hopes that people will begin to recognize the potential for use of microorganisms."

Dr. SUZUKI

"The importance of collaboration is that joint research brings researchers in Japan and Indonesia closer together. Even in earlier projects between NITE and LIPI where the focus was more on technology transfer, with Indonesia providing resources and information, part of the reason for the success of the projects was that researchers communicated well and shared their expertise. In fact, many of the Indonesian researchers involved in this SATREPS project obtained their doctorates at Japanese universities. In the new project, they will be making good use of what they learned during the time they were in Japan. This time, the focus is more on joint research, so over the five years of the project, 25 Japanese researchers will visit Indonesia on a short-term basis, and some 60 researchers from Indonesia will come to Japan, also for short periods. We are convinced that this approach will enhance communication and strengthen the bonds between the two countries' researchers."

Dr. SUZUKI

"The microbiologists from both countries have a common interest in the research, but in this case, there is a government agency acting as manager. The government's approach will naturally be one of attempting to ensure that the country maximizes the gains it receives through the collaboration. How to reconcile that requirement with the researchers' approach is one of the challenges that the project has to face."

Dr. SUZUKI

"The project officially starts in spring 2011. Our first task is to set up the apparatus needed to start classifying and identifying microorganisms at LIPI, in order to fully establish a research system. In the meantime, Japanese researchers will visit Indonesia, and Indonesian researchers will visit Japan to initiate the process of technology transfer, steadily constructing the Microbial Resource Center at LIPI."