Indonesia seeks mass production of medical research innovations
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry has urged researchers to strengthen their awareness of market needs and ensure their innovations can be adopted for mass production by pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.
Director of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Resilience Wenny Indriasari made the call at the 2026 Indonesian Convention on Science, Technology, and Industry (KSTI) in Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday, highlighting the health sector's untapped economic potential.
Citing ministry data, she noted that Indonesia's pharmaceutical industry comprises 248 manufacturers and around 2,800 distributors. The country is also home to 740 medical device companies.
Indriasari contrasted those figures with a substantial trade imbalance, noting that Indonesia imported US$1.37 trillion worth of medical devices while exporting US$744 billion.
"In other words, this industry becomes valuable only when its products reach patients," she said, reiterating the need to move research outcomes beyond the laboratory stage and into the market.
She further noted that the Health Ministry had prepared four technology-driven strategies to build a resilient health system in support of the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.
The strategies focus on biotechnology development, precision medicine, artificial intelligence adoption, and the use of robotics in healthcare services.
She also highlighted strategic policy interventions, including fiscal incentives for industry players, regulatory sandbox support, expanded clinical trial facilitation, and a flexible import policy.
Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto earlier encouraged Indonesian scientists to pursue world-class excellence.
He urged researchers to draw inspiration from renowned innovators such as Robert Langer, Amar Bose, and Ray Dolby.
The minister cited the three figures as examples of scientists who transformed research into global industries.
Related news: Indonesia opens convention to link research with economic development
Related news: Ministry backs research to boost national medical industry
Translator: Sean Filo, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2026
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.