Recently, the annual meeting of Sino-Indonesia Marine Ranching Program was held in Bandung, Indonesia. Prof. WANG Fan, Program Leader and Director of the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS), Prof. Ocky Karna Radjasa, Dean of Research Organization of Earth Sciences and Maritime of National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia, and Prof. Udhi Hernawan, Director of Research Center for Oceanography of National Research and Innovation Agency (RCO-BRIN), attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Dr. FU Junsheng and Dr. YI Xianliang from the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, as well as relevant personnel from IOCAS and RCO-BRIN participated in the meeting.
Prof. Dirhamsyah gave a detailed introduction to the implementation plan, project management, and operating expenses of the Marine Ranching Program. Researcher YU Rencheng, Committee Member of IOCAS emphasized the progress of cooperation between China and Indonesia, implemented the details of the joint ocean scientific cruises between China and Indonesia, and looked forward to the smooth progress of the Marine Ranching Program on Lombok Island.
Researcher ZHANG Libin, Researcher ZHANG Junlong, and Associate Researcher WANG Zheng from IOCAS, Prof. Muhamad Firdaus, Prof. Nurul Dhewani, Prof. Zainal Arifin, Prof. Puji Rakhmadi, and others from RCO-BRIN, respectively reported and discussed in aspects of species verification, marine ranching demonstration, selection and cultivation of sea cucumber, marine ranching monitoring and environmental safety system, coupled numerical simulation of marine ranching waters, construction of observation buoys, marine ranching and seaweed farming on Lombok Island, research on Indonesian aquaculture biota and tropical seaweed production, preliminary research on biodiversity, and future cooperation.
Dr. LI Yanwei, Head of International Cooperation Office of IOCAS, Dr. Martiwi D. Setiawati, and Dr. Dwiyoga Nugroho conducted detailed introductions on the construction progress and future plans of the Sino-Indonesia Joint Laboratory of Marine Science. The meeting also held in-depth discussions on the program implementation plan for 2023, and an implementation plan agreement will be signed in the near future.
The annual meeting will accelerate the promotion of the "Indonesian Marine Ranching Construction" program to play a demonstration and leading role. Since 2013, IOCAS and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (now the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia) have jointly conducted six scientific research activities in the Indonesian waters. Especially during the epidemic, both sides overcame difficulties and continued to advance their joint cruises, obtaining valuable scientific research data. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Indonesia, and is "the first year of an era" of jointly building a community with a shared future between China and Indonesia. On the occasion of the decade of maritime cooperation between China and Indonesia, the two sides will continue to carry out a series of cooperation activities, including academic seminars, joint cruises, scientific research exchange visits, talent training projects, and accelerate the implementation of projects in the new stage, in order to contribute to the friendly scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries.
During this visit, Director WANG Fan had important talks with Dr. Handoko, Director of the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia. Dr. Handoko stated that China and Indonesia have a good foundation for international cooperation, and the scientific and technological cooperation between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN) continues to progress in the context of the epidemic. Both sides will continue to support joint cruises, deepen cooperation between institutions, and vigorously carry out personnel exchanges and graduate training. Director WANG Fan stated that in the future, both sides will continue to deepen cooperation in fields such as science and technology and oceans. He looks forward to joint efforts to further promote maritime cooperation between China and Indonesia, build a blue economic partnership, and make new contributions to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
Director of the Bureau of Cooperation, Law and Public Relations, Dean of Research Organization of Earth Sciences and Maritime, Minister of Research Vessel Management and Director of Deep Sea Center participated in discussions.
Director WANG Fan also hosted the kick-off meeting of the ANSO Microplastics Key Collaborative Research Program, which is a joint research and cooperation program funded by the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO). This program focuses on investigating the pollution status of microplastics in the "Coral Triangle" and its impact on the ecological environment, and utilizing microorganisms to conduct research on microplastic degradation technology. This program is jointly implementedled by IOCAS, RCO-BRIN, the University of the Philippines, and the University of Papua New Guinea.
The National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN) is a government agency established by the Indonesian government in 2019 under the Ministry of Research and Technology, and officially became a cabinet level government agency on August 24, 2021, directly under the President of Indonesia. BRIN is currently the only national research institution in Indonesia, guiding and supporting the national research ecosystem, promoting national identity and national self-sufficiency. All Indonesian national research institutions, such as the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Technical Evaluation and Application Agency (BPPT), the Indonesian National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN), have merged into BRIN. Dr. Handoko, former Dean of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, is currently the Director of the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN).
(Editor: ZHANG Yiyi)