Jakarta, December 16, 2019. Indofood Nugraha Research (IRN) formed by PT Indofood Sukses Makmur (Indofood), invited three researchers from the IRN (period 2018-2019) to go to Singapore. The three researchers are Mariska Pricilla from Surya University, Mohammad Fahrurrozi Asbirin from Bogor Agricultural Institute, and Sayyidul Fath from Syiah Kuala University. They are the three top researchers from 58 researchers, who were in the IRN program for the 2018-209 period.

During the 3 day trip, students will be invited to visit 2 locations namely Firmenich and BASF, as well as other scientific tourism locations in Singapore. These two facilities and laboratories are managed by world-famous companies and have qualified technology, and have branches spread all over the world.

Deputy Head of Indofood's Corporate Communications Division, Stefanus Indrayana said, "Through this visit it is hoped that the best researchers will be able to gain broader industrial insights related to chemical processing and flavour processing. Similar to last year, we will carry out the Scientific Tour program regularly every year so that the best researchers from the IRN program can broaden their horizons and knowledge in technology from other countries".

"As one of the students invited to Singapore, I thank PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk as the organizer of the IRN program and also the IRN Expert Team for the opportunity given to me. Many of the experiences and knowledge we gained during this trip added even broader insights about food technology. Hopefully the IRN program can continue to develop to be even better and can create other top researchers, "said Sayyidul Fath from Syiah Kuala University.

The theme of IRN 2019/2020 is "Development of Sustainable Food Systems Based on Potential and Local Wisdom for Improving Health, Intelligence and Achievement of the Nation". The IRN program is a grant of research assistance to undergraduate students (S1) who are conducting research as a condition for completing their education. To socialize this program, roadshows were held in several places namely the Bandung Institute of Technology for the Bandung and West Java regions, Semarang State University for the Semarang and Central Java region and Trunojoyo University for the Madura and East Java regions. Research methodology socialization and coaching clinics were also carried out at Palangkaraya University, Central Kalimantan and Tadulako University, Palu, Central Sulawesi.

The IRN program, Indofood’s Corporate Social Responsibility pillar of the Human Capital Building, is open to undergraduate students who are completing their final assignments, from various majors. The object of the research is local food resources derived from both land or sea. For example; carbohydrates (such as cereal maize, sorghum, wheat, various tubers, etc.); coconut and palm oil; herbs and spices; livestock products; marine products and fisheries; and other superior local food products. The research fields cover the fields of production (agro technology), technology (post-harvest and processing), public health and nutrition, as well as the socio-economic and cultural fields.

IRN fund recipients also received assistance during the research from the IRN Expert Team, which consisted of experts from various fields and chaired by Prof. Dr. Ir. Purwiyatno Hariyadi, MSc. Since it was first launched in 2006, the IRN Program has received around 5,000 proposals and funded more than 750 research students.

"We hope that through the IRN Program will emerge superior research from students that will be beneficial for improving the quality of human resources, the nation's competitiveness and ultimately supporting national food independence," Indrayana said.

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About the Nugraha Indofood Research Program (IRN)

IRN is a research funding assistance program for students (Strata 1) who are completing their final project / research in the field of food diversification. The IRN program began in 2006 as a continuation of the Bogasari Nugraha program, which was initiated in 1998 by Bogasari Flour Mills; one of the strategic business groups of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, its main business activities producing flour and pasta.

The program is one of the pillars of corporate social responsibility in Building Human Capital. The IRN program has been recognized and won the 2010 Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award for the category of Investment in People Award from Enterprise Asia and the 2011 Education Care Award from the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud).

The Expert Team consisted of 9 experts from various fields such as the Field of Food Technology, the Socio-Economic Field of Agriculture, the Field of Agricultural Cultivation, the Field of Animal Husbandry, the Field of Nutrition and Health, the Field of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, the Genetics and Molecular Biotechnology Field and from Indofood - representing the Industrial sector.

About PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk

Over the last two decades, Indofood has progressively transformed into a Total Food Solutions company with operations in all stages of food manufacturing, from the production of raw materials and their processing, to consumer products in the market. Today, it is renowned as a well-established company and a leading player in each business category in which it operates. In its business operations, Indofood capitalizes on economies of scale and a resilient business model with four complementary Strategic Business Groups (“Group”), namely: