Jakarta, 27 June 2023. The Indofood Riset Nugraha (IRN) program period 2023/2024 period is open again. This program offers a chance to receive research funds for undergraduate students who are currently performing their research as their final assignment. This year’s theme is Functional Foods Research Based on Local Potential and Wisdom. Students can send their research proposal to the IRN program from 27 June to 30 July 2023.

At the IRN Socialization Program Webinar held online, the Head of the IRN program cum Director of PT Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur Tbk Suaimi Suriady said, “The IRN program invites students from different programs from tertiary institutions nationwide in Indonesia to deliver new ideas and fresh notions to produce researches on the diversity of food based on local wisdom. Functional food is raised as the IRN theme this year. Generally, the definition of functional food is that it is a food source that not only acts as a source of energy and nutrients but also has specific health benefits that can contribute to the development of public health.”

Suaimi explained further that 2023 is predicted to be a heavy year for most countries. The world’s major food challenge faced currently is on how to provide food that is safe and nutritious enough, for the world population that keeps on rising, with resources (earth, water, human resources, farmers) that are continuously decreasing and need to be done through sustainability. Indonesia has to find a new alternative source of food individually or collectively for food commodities and food that has not yet been fulfilled from domestic resources. Other than that, the effort to diversify national food resources based on local potential needs to be intensified and ensure national food security.

“Thus, this IRN program is developed so that it could play a role as the medium for the growth of brilliant ideas from students, to dig and develop the richness of Indonesia’s natural food resources that can be expanded to be a better food resource,” he stated.

How to join the IRN Program

Research funds from the IRN program are offered to students who are commencing their final assignment and come from various programs.

To obtain research funding, students need to send their research proposals through the email: indofoodrisetnugraha@indofood.co.id by 30 July 2023. Requirements include a complete curriculum vitae of students and supervisors, and research is conducted in Indonesia for a maximum period of 1 (one) year. Other administrative terms and conditions can be viewed on the IRN website at www.indofoodrisetnugraha.com.

The research objective is food resources such as corn, wheat, banana, coconut, soy, sago, spices, meat, dairy, cassava, and other local food commodities suited to local culture and wisdom. Moreover, marine food resources are also included in research objectives such as fish, seaweed, etc.

The scope of the research includes the fields of Food Technology, Community Nutrition, Agricultural Cultivation, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Social, Cultural, Economy and Marketing, and Technology fields (Production technology, processing, packaging, machinery technology, including information technology and marketing technology).

The process will proceed with the administrative and substantive selection which be held online. Successful receivers of research funds from IRN will be announced in September 2023.

Benefits of Joining the IRN Program

The IRN program provides financial assistance to complete research carried out by students as graduation requirements. While participating in the IRN program, each student will receive direct assistance from experts according to the research field until the research is completed. Indofood Research Nugraha is one of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk Corporate Social Responsibility’s (CSR) Program which was launched in 2006. "To date, the IRN Program has funded more than 1,000 research proposals. We hope that more students will join this program and be motivated to conduct food research, uncovering the properties and other advantages of food sources that are all around us. This IRN program is also a real contribution of the younger generation to Indonesia’s food security," said Suaimi.<

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About the Nugraha Indofood Research Program (IRN)

IRN is a research funding assistance program for students (Strata 1) who are completing their final project / research in the field of food diversification. The IRN program began in 2006 as a continuation of the Bogasari Nugraha program, which was initiated in 1998 by Bogasari Flour Mills; one of the strategic business groups of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, its main business activities producing flour and pasta.

The program is one of the pillars of corporate social responsibility in Building Human Capital. The IRN program has been recognized and won the 2010 Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award for the category of Investment in People Award from Enterprise Asia and the 2011 Education Care Award from the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud).

The Expert Team consisted of 9 experts from various fields such as the Field of Food Technology, the Socio-Economic Field of Agriculture, the Field of Agricultural Cultivation, the Field of Animal Husbandry, the Field of Nutrition and Health, the Field of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, the Genetics and Molecular Biotechnology Field and from Indofood - representing the Industrial sector.

About PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk

Indofood is a Total Food Solutions company with operations in all stages of food manufacturing, from the production of raw materials and their processing to consumer products in the market. It is renowned as a well-established company and a leading player in each business category in which it operates. In its business operations, Indofood capitalizes on economies of scale and a resilient business model with four complementary Strategic Business Groups (“Group”), namely: