TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Laksana Tri Handoko on Tuesday revealed the most crucial issue the Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute faced for decades was its status.

"Eijkman's most crucial problem that has never been resolved since it was activated in 1992, or almost 30 years ago, is a status issue," said Laksana to Tempo, on January 4, 2022.

Laksana explained that Eijkman was never an official institution and was activated from the start as a project under the Ministry of Research and Technology.

Due to its status issue, researchers who work at Eijkman are not able to be appointed as official researchers while their status remains at the level of administrative staff or project managers.

While still serving as the Head of LIPI, Laksana admitted to receiving complaints from Eijkman researchers who would demand to be appointed as researchers. They asked to be appointed as researchers in order to obtain their financial rights as being an official researcher would increase their salary.

Because, they only get a salary of Rp 6-7 million per month. Meanwhile, if you become a researcher, the financial rights that can be obtained are Rp. 20 million. "How could they focus on research under those circumstances," he said.

After being sworn in as Head of BRIN on May 4, 2021, Laksana said Eijkman was one of the first places he visited and pledged to introduce Eijkman's status as an institution. Due to its status as an institution, he said he is able to promote researchers and provide them the financial rights they never received.

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FRISKI RIANA