The government is emphasising the importance of strengthening research and downstream processing of mineral resources as foundational to improving national competitiveness. With the global shift toward new energy and sustainability, minerals take on strategic roles in the economy—from raw material supply to jobs creation and technological development—so Indonesia must enhance its research capacity, especially in energy materials.
During a visit by Airlangga Hartarto (Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs) to the engineering faculty of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, the government reiterated that downstream mineral industries must be developed sustainably, with efficient extraction technologies and environmentally-friendly processing. These steps are seen as critical for Indonesia to move from being a raw-material exporter toward playing a more valuable role in global supply chains.
