Indonesia and Australia have been collaborating in science and innovation for many years. And we continue to build on these partnerships: developing a better vaccine for rotavirus, the gastro-bug that kills around 200,000 children globally each year; discovering the Hobbit; helping each other in times of crisis such as the Black Saturday bushfires or Bali bombings; and predicting fires, floods and earthquakes that will affect the region.
With the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the world’s fourth-largest population, Indonesia has its sights set on continued economic growth. There are opportunities for Australia both to support and learn from its neighbour— particularly in the shared challenges the countries face with infrastructure and sustainable development.
The following short stories are just a taste of the diverse projects that are engaging Indonesian and Australian scientists in research that’s changing both nations. You can view the PDF of the book (right) or read the stories as individual pieces below.
About the collection
Stories of Australia-Indonesia Innovation is the result of a collaboration between Science in Public and The Australia-Indonesia Centre. The stories were selected after Science in Public put out a public call for ideas.
The list is not meant to be a comprehensive summary of Australia-Indonesia research underway or completed—it is a celebration of the diversity of collaborative projects. Science in Public and the Centre wish to thank the researchers and institutions that have made this publication possible.
Contents
Infrastructure
• Building port cities
• Riding the rails to an efficient freight system
• Building sustainable, resilient ports and cities: The Australia-Indonesia Centre Infrastructure Cluster
Health
• Keeping ahead of a child killer: stopping gastro from birth
• Breeding mosquitoes to eliminate dengue
• Helping Javanese children hear
• New targets for tuberculosis vaccine
• The future of Indonesian mental health
• Ultra-sensitive dengue detection
• Can sunshine help prevent pneumonia?
• Detecting high risk pregnancies in Indonesia
• Identifying the Bali bombers; testing for bird flu; and better selection of anti-malarial drugs
• Fighting the new killers: The Australia-Indonesia Centre Health Cluster
• Signs of the dietary environment
• Identifying victims in the Black Saturday bush fires
• Healthcare for the ‘missing middle’
Health shorts:
• The impact of rotavirus
• A universal flu vaccine
• Boosting vaccine performance
• A five-in-one vaccine for all Indonesian children
• PT Bio Farma
• What’s killing people?
Innovation
• Giving start-ups a fair go
• Better shelters for Indonesia’s street vendors
• Citizen science recovering volcanic farmlands
• Carving out success in wooden exports
Environment and conservation
• Using mangroves to fight climate change
• Clever spending for orangutans, elephants, and people
• Lemons to keep elephants out of trouble
• Manta rays munching on micro-plastics
• Is the Bali ocean sunfish tourism sustainable?
• Lessons in conservation from indigenous practices
• Better ways to conserve the Coral Triangle
• Leapfrogging towards water sensitive cities: The Australia-Indonesia Centre Urban Water Cluster
• What roles do women play in fishing communities?
Energy
• Putting a figure on the cost of algae to ships
• Better, safer lithium batteries
• Designing the coolest tropical houses
• Affordable, sustainable energy for all: The Australia-Indonesia Energy Cluster
• An end to Indonesia’s hospital power blackouts?
Agriculture
• Sharing expertise, not pests
• International demand for Indonesian coffee
• Safer farms for poultry and people
• Saving Indonesia’s cocoa
Earth sciences
• Predicting where gold and copper lie
• Finding the Hobbit and more
• Making artificial tsunamis to prepare for the worst
• What happened to Asia’s lost ‘elephants’ ?
• Re-evaluating Jakarta’s seismic risk
• Predicting fire, flood, and food shortages
Credits
Concept: Niall Byrne, niall@scienceinpublic.com.au
Editor: Lydia Hales, lydia@scienceinpublic.com.au
Writers: Lydia Hales, Niall Byrne, Ellie Michaelides
Design: www.saltcreative.com.au