The Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) will channel all attention to eight priority sectors with the objective of boosting the nation's independence and competitiveness in 2021.

"Innovation, science and technology are the nation’s main drivers of economic growth and development," Head of BPPT Hammam Riza stated at the commemoration of the agency’s 43rd anniversary here on Monday.

The eight priority sectors comprise defense and security, disaster, energy, electronics, engineering health and food, information, maritime, as well as transportation.

Riza informed that the agency will develop technologies by performing seven roles.

The first three roles of engineering, technology clearing, and technology auditing refer to technology assessment.

The four other roles -- technology intermediation, technology dissemination, technology transfer and technology commercialization or downstreaming -- pertain to the application of technology.

The agency head remarked that the issuance of Law Number 11 of 2019 on the National System of Science and Technology was a new milestone for the development of science and technology and innovation in Indonesia.

"Science and technology had been set as the foundation for national development and not only for the improvement of science itself," he affirmed.

The BPPT is tasked with producing innovations and encouraging the successful implementation of technology in accordance with the mandate of the law.

The agency has produced various innovative products in several fields to date. It focuses on technology that can be utilized by the community and industry to reduce the use of imported products and increase the content of domestic components.

For instance, the BPPT has produced flare-type cloud seeding materials that are used for weather modification operations to prevent and manage forest and land fires.

Furthermore, the focus on digital transformation will continue to be intensified through the implementation of the Electronic-Based Government System (SPBE).

In supporting the system, the BPPT has developed i-OTENTIK, which is a digital signature that can be used by the public through the govca.id website.

Riza noted that the use of information technology in SPBE socialization was also applied during the general election.

Through electronic election innovation called e-Pemilu, the BPPT provides various integrated services -- voter database verification using electronic ID cards and fingerprint data; digital form voting that can count real-time number of valid votes; as well as direct vote recapitulation sent to the General Election Commission Data Center when the voting duration is over.

Source : https://en.antaranews.com/news/185426/bppt-focuses-on-development-of-eight-priority-sectors