Jakarta, 29 September 2021. There are 62 students from 48 universities manage to secure research funding from PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk (Indofood). Researches funded through the Program Indofood Riset Nugraha (IRN) periode 2021/2022 one of the requirement to finish the bachelor degree. The handover research fund marked by the signing MOU IRN Program 2021/2022 that held virtually on Wednesday, 29th of September 2021. Not only receive funding, the millennial researchers also receive coaching clinic, mentoring and guidance from IRN Expert Team.

Suaimi Suriady, Director of PT Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur Tbk and Head of IRN Program said, “Pandemic has lasted more than 1 year already constrain and slowed our space, yet on the other side this condition also create new normal that accelerates innovations in various fields such as food. The pandemic will expand other potentials from food sources that beneficial for health and increase immune to fight COVID-19. This year we will highlight “Millennial Functional Food Research based on Local Potentials and Wisdoms in Pandemic Covid-19 Era”. The theme already intrigues the millennial curiosity to establish the research. It is proven by the number of proposals that we received, 400. Proposals from universities across Indonesia and the number increased compare to last year that were is 296 proposals.”

Since the first launch in 2006, IRN Program already received around 5.400 proposals and funded 867 researchers.

IRN fund receiver will have responsibility to finish their research within 1 year. Expert team of IRN will accompany and guide the millennial researchers to overview the research development, challenges or even constraints that may happen during the second audit stage. Beside that, IRN program also provide soft skill exercises that will be needed in building competent millennial research. After signing the MoU today, IRN fund receiver will be join coaching clinic from the Expert Team that leady by prof. Dr. Ir. Purwiyatno Hariyadi, MSc. virtually.

Selected Researchers IRN 2020/2021 period.

At the same occasion, IRN also gives appreciation for 4 students as the Best Researchers for IRN Program 2020/2021. The appraisal conducted by using 5 research parameters which are the implementation of research, quality of research, presentation technic, mastering the material and researcher’s behaviour. They are Nandita Ika Qothrunada from Jend. Soedirman University, Vina Antania Yapceh from Jember University, Suparman from Mataram University and Laeli Lutfiani from Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jakarta University. All Selected Researchers will receive laptop as the gift.

“Being a part of Indofood Research Nugraha 2020-2021 is a valuable opportunity that I got. From IRN, I gain many new insights about research from the Expert Team who are competent in their field. It is a great honor for me to have reviews and feedbacks from the Expert Team so I developed my research into a better one. I did not imagine that from this research I got coached and research experience that motivate me to keep create and research. Not only that, from IRN, I managed to established friendships with other researchers across Indonesia and Thank you IRN!” said Laeli Lutfiani one of the Selected Researcher on sharing her experience as one of the IRN fund receiver.

The same story also told by Vina Antania Yapceh from Jember University, “I am very grateful for the opportunity that given to me as one of the receiver research fun in IRN program. Through this program I gain so much knowledge and benefits such as exercise disciplinary, time management, finished my thesis earlier, met the great Expert Team and as a bonus gained new friends from across Indonesia. Make sure you join this program and be The Next prominent researcher Indonesia IRN.”

Opportunity to experience as the Selected Researcher also widely open for IRN members this year. “We hope appreciations like this will motivate and push the millennial research to give their best in the pandemic era. By combining fresh yet innovative ideas and the millennial’s ability to adapt with the technology development, we believe that they will be able to delivered prominent research and innovations for food developments in Indonesia to food and nutrition self-sufficiency in national scale,” said Suaimi.

*****

 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.