[caption id="attachment_96177" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Saman Dancers from Chunghwa University, ready for the great performance on March, 20"][/caption]
This century, the world has entered the era of knowledge-based economy where economic growth, prosperity, and nation’s standard of living are heavily influenced by the ability to master and capitalize science and technology. This era is also characterized by strong tendency to create an open system which can lead to global competition, hence the undeniable requisition to survive and proficient in every competition is to increase national competitiveness. One of the main factors that can increase the competitiveness of nations is increasing investment and improving the quality of human resource development and research.
Indonesia as a developing country with abundant natural resources needs knowledge-based skillful employers whom they are able to manage, enhance their economic value, and provide solutions to the problems faced in terms of safety, health, education, environment, agriculture, industry, infrastructure, and other sectors. However, the big issues related to improving the quality of human resources and researches are still facing Indonesia today.
The low competitiveness of Indonesia can also be seen from the numbers of the Human Development Index (HDI) which was released by UNDP, which put Indonesia in the order of 107 out of 177 countries. This issue needs to be solved if the Indonesian people do not want to left behind and run over by the fast-changing era. Strategic plans have been taken by the government as an effort to increase national competitiveness, including improvement of education budget to reach 20%, improvement of national education system, and increase the research budget, although the number is still far from the amount of the research budget issued by the neighbor countries.
Despite policies executed by the government is still far from the ideal as expected by all nations’ elements, but as the children of our nation, we should not just criticize the policies without contributed to any possible roles and position which can be taken. As an overseas academician, both students and employers who work on strategic sectors have an important role to support the increase of nation’s competitiveness. One of them is participating in the strengthening and acceleration of national research, thus they can become advocates/supporters in the development of national industry based on science and technology, developed by the nation itself
Such action has begun, with the emergence of International Indonesian Scholars Association (I-4) and various scientific studies led by Indonesian students in some countries where they study. As part of the elements that have a sense of responsibility and commitment in our nation progress and prosperity, the Indonesian Muslim Student Forum in Taiwan (FORMMIT) was determined to take part in the move with initiating a scientific forum that the results expected to be a trigger to improve the quality of national research and acceleration of the knowledge capitalization that leads to increase economic growth, and increase welfare of Indonesian people. In addition, we want to build a nation which has a dignity and reckoned in the world.
The First Annual Indonesian Scholars Conference in Taiwan (AISC Taiwan) will be held on March 20 in Southern Taiwan University (STU) Campus. This event will focus on 9 topics: Culture, Linguistic and Social Change Study; Economy, Management, and Business; Electronics, Automatic Control, Computer Science and Information Technology; Material & Manufacture; Infrastructure and Disaster Management; Renewable Energy and Climate Change; Environment and Sustainable Development; Agriculture and Agribusiness; Health and Pharmacy.
The goals of this event are Growing nationalism to build Indonesia together through strengthening and accelerating the national research as the foundation of development knowledge-based economy. Place to accommodate scientific interaction between Indonesian students / scholars in Taiwan with the relevant parties in Indonesia for the development of science and technology. Through scientific interaction across these fields is expected to build an intelligent, comprehensive and competitive future generation.