BRIN Clarifies State Intelligence's Role in National Vaccine Development

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Research and Development Ministry/National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Minister, Bambang Brodjonegoro, in an exclusive video conference on Tuesday, Oct. 6, clarified news about the involvement of Indonesia’s State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in the COVID-19 vaccine development. 

He explained to Tempo that BIN is one of the drug researchers along with Surabaya’s Airlangga University and the creator of the GeNose test tool from Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University. 

BIN has reportedly been involved in collecting samples of COVID-19 cases, together with Indonesian health authorities, through rapid tests and swab tests across several laboratories in the country. Bambang Brodjonegoro acknowledged the broad activities of the intelligence agency and did not have an issue with it. 

“As long as they are able to support [the researches] I think it would be just fine,” said the state minister on October 6. 

He claimed BIN helped initiate the GeNose research, which is a new tool that helps detect SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in a subject’s breath and is believed to be 97 percent accurate so far.

According to Bambang, Indonesia received a donation of tools that can check up to 1,000 samples daily, which he said was due to the role of the state intelligence agency. 

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Zacharias Wuragil