Two research lecturers from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FMIPA UI), Anom Bowolaksono, Ph.D., from the Department of Biology, and Dr. Dipo Aldila from the Department of Mathematics, were selected as recipients of research funding through the Productive Innovative Research Program (RISPRO) themed “UK-Indonesia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Sciences (UKICIS)”. This collaborative scientific program is for Indonesian researchers and the UK to discuss five priority themes, namely green economy, blue economy, digital technology, health, and tourism.
The research program aims to realize the impact of national research and products by 2025. Funding support for this program comes from the Indonesian Education Fund Management Agency (LPDP) with a maximum funding period of four years of research implementation. The interdisciplinary research collaboration funding program was launched by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Technology (MoHE), and LPDP RI, in collaboration with the UK-Indonesia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Sciences (UKICIS), with support from the Indonesian Embassy in London, on March 16, 2022.
Announcement of research grant recipients will be sent via email on September 16, 2022. Anom Bowolaksono, Ph.D., proposed a research project proposal entitled “Incretin Based Therapy GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Gestational Diabetes Treatment in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)”. His research aims to characterize the pathways and molecular mechanisms targeted by Glucagon like peptide-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1 RA).
“The results of this study will later be used to evaluate the competence of the protein as a candidate for gestational anti-diabetes mellitus therapy in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. The findings from this research are expected to improve the quality of life of mothers and children affected by diabetes mellitus through the addition of new therapeutic options,” explained Anom.
This research project will be carried out collaboratively and sustainably for three years between the Department of Biology FMIPA UI, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FK UI ) IPB, and Warwick Medical School University of Warwick, UK. In the research, FK UI IPB will be led by Prof. drh. Arief Boediono, Ph.D., PAVet(K), and the University of Warwick will be led by Professor Dimitri Grammatopoulos.
Another researcher from UI, Dr. Dipo Aldila, submitted a research proposal entitled “Outbreak Risk of Vector Borne Disease and Managerial Distraction Analysis in Post Pandemic of COVID-19”. This study aims to provide an alternative perspective on the pattern of disease spread, both temporally and spatially.
“During the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, many lessons can be learned. Methods for forecasting field cases in anticipation of policy changes are constantly being updated. Through this research, it is hoped that in the future the results of this research can provide an early warning system against the threat of spikes in disease cases in the field, be it COVID-19, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DBD), or other diseases that are commonly found in the community,” said Dr. Dipo.
In his research, Dr. Dipo as a representative of the Mathematics department of FMNS UI will collaborate with the Mathematics Department of ITB with Dr. Nuning Nuraini and Rudy Kusdiantara, Ph.D., and IPB with Dr. Endar H. Nugrahani. Not only that, Dipo will also collaborate with the UI Faculty of Pharmacy with Achmad Fuady, Ph.D., Prof. Hadi Susanto from the Department of Mathematics, Univ. of Indonesia. Khalifah, UAE, and Prof. Jonathan Wattis from the Department of Mathematics, University of Nottingham, UK.
Dean of FMIPA UI Dede Djuhana, Ph.D., expressed his appreciation and support to the two research lecturers. The involvement of FMIPA UI through this research collaboration project, said the Dean, also initiated UKICIS. Dede emphasized that in a challenging situation like today, it is important for FMIPA UI which is part of the leading universities in Indonesia to prioritize national and international collaboration in the fields of education and research as the key to success in building institutional capacity and quality in producing superior human resources and innovation. impact on the world community.
“We see that collaboration in both education and research brings an important role for each party in building institutional capacity, so we need to prioritize collaboration not just competition. If the institution’s capacity increases, we are sure that individual capacity will also increase,” said the Dean of FMIPA UI. For this reason, he hopes that the cooperation between the two countries will produce a strong impact to contribute to a friendlier world. “We hope that this collaboration will be sustainable and spark the development of innovations needed by the world community,” he said.
