Higher Education Institution Engagement in Innovation Ecosystems in LMICs: Evidence from Indonesia

• In Event: Higher Education Institution Engagement in Innovation Ecosystems in LMICs: Barriers and Enablers for Fostering Sustainable Change Through Higher Education-Driven Innovation

Proposal

This paper presentation will share findings on HEI engagement in the agricultural innovation ecosystem of West Java, Indonesia. Agriculture is currently a national priority sector in Indonesia, as stipulated in the Ministry of National Planning Development Regulation No. 5/2020, and a priority area for innovation development. This was also supported in local government regulation and formulated through the West Java Medium Term Development Plan 2020-2024 by prioritizing agriculture and SMEs (Government of Indonesia, 2020). There are 11 categories of prioritized innovation sectors in the national research agenda, two of which are related to agriculture: the agro-food industry category and the agriculture & marine resource category. From the Top 100+ Innovations selected by the Business Innovation Center, more than 50% of innovations are categorized as agro-food industry and/or agriculture & marine resources from 2017 to 2021. Of those innovations, 60% are from West Java Institutions, governments, or private sectors (Business Innovation Center, 2022).

An initial scoping of the literature and a series of consultations with expert stakeholders revealed that HEIs are active in producing innovation for the sector but face several barriers stemming from policy inefficiencies, fiscal needs, and weak relationships. Findings from the study will further explore the roles of HEIs in the sector, the collaboration with other HEI and other actors, and clarify the barriers they face to engaging effectively with the government, the private sector, end-users, and other critical actors.

Author

• Ahmad Gamal, Smart City Universitas Indonesia