On 6 March, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator The Honourable Penny Wong, announced the allocation of Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII) Grants.
These grants are aimed at strengthening the Australia-Indonesia relationship, with priority areas in (i) language studies, (ii) media, arts and culture, (iii) health, science and technology, (iv) economic and business engagement, and (v) sport.
A team from the Transdisciplinary School was one of the 29 AII grant recipients for its project "Leveraging Startup Ecosystems to Scale Innovation Adoption in Rural Indonesia."
The project is a collaborative effort between Australian and Indonesian experts, NGOs and industry to improve how AgTech can improve the livelihoods of even the smallest and most remote farming operations. UTS will collaborate with Indonesia ecosystem partners, including Lestari, Kopernik, PRISMA, ITB, USK and eFishery. The project aims to support start-ups and smallholders in rural Indonesia by exploring the benefits of innovative AgTech and business models. The project is a timely exploration of the transformative potential of AgTech to counter the global challenges of sustainable food production, population growth, and food security. However, it also acknowledges the situation faced by many small-scale producers, who are often resource-constrained and difficult to reach.
Indonesian farming women working in a field
To address these challenges, the project will engage with smallholders, AgTech firms, and other key stakeholders across Indonesia who act as intermediaries between them. The team consists of Martin Bliemel, Director of Innovation at the TD School, Jarrod Ormiston, Director of Teaching and Learning at the TD School, and Trisna Mulyati a PhD candidate with a wealth of experience in the Indonesian AgTech sector. They will conduct meetings and workshops in situ to better understand existing barriers, identify successful strategies, and develop guides for other AgTech firms, smallholders and stakeholders to overcome these obstacles. This initiative will not only benefit rural Indonesia but also provide insights applicable to other rural and regional contexts, including Australia.
This project exemplifies DFAT's commitment to fostering international collaboration and innovation, ensuring mutual growth and prosperity for both Australia and Indonesia.
To learn more about all UTS based AII funded projects,
join us at the next Researcher Café at UTS RES Hub on 5 June at noon.