Three Research Institutes Groomed Become Centers Of Excellence

Surabaya, E Java, Nov 27 (ANTARA) - The Research and Technology Ministry has groomed three research institutes to become science and technology centers of excellence next year. The institutes are the center for tropical horticultural studies and the bio-pharmaceutical research center at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) and the rubber research center also in Bogor, the deputy for competency and institutions to the research and technology minister, Dr I Wayan Budiastra, said on the sidelines of a workshop here on Monday. "The three institutes have come close to meeting criteria for centers of excellence that`s why they will become candidates next year," he said. He said 60 institutes applied for centers of excellence last year But only one of the four applicants which were nominated was certified as a center of excellence, namely the Center for Palm Oil Research in Medan, North Sumatra. This year the number of applicants fell to 40. Only two of the eight applicants which had been nominated will be certified as a center of excellence, he said. "That the number of applicants fell suggested that it is difficult to become a center of excellence because they must have a minimum score of 850," he said. To become a center of excellence, the research institutes must be not only excellent in terms of academy but also ready to share the results of their researches, nurture local people and build networking with other institutes, he said.