BRIN and IAEA Join Forces to Boost Nuclear Technology in Indonesia

JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS— The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is strengthening Indonesia’s nuclear instrumentation and applications through the RAS 1026 Project.

BRIN stands for the National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional) of Indonesia. It is responsible for coordinating and implementing research and innovation activities in the country to advance science and technology across various fields.

“IAEA has provided essential resources, including radiation detection equipment, training kits, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) modules, software, training, and fellowship funding, which are crucial for developing human resources and equipping research and development facilities with advanced nuclear technology,” said Abu Khalid Rifai, Head of the Nuclear Analysis Technology Research Center, in a statement in Jakarta.

Rifai detailed that Project RAS 1026 is a collaborative initiative involving several countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, and Jordan, and will run from 2020 to 2024.

Recently, these participating countries convened a coordination meeting to report their activities to the IAEA. “Member countries receive nuclear instrumentation with cutting-edge technology through this project. Each country is responsible for maintaining and repairing their new equipment,” Rifai explained.

He added that each nation is expected to master the new nuclear instruments and create their own troubleshooting guides. “These guides will be compiled into a database that all participating countries can access and use collectively,” he said.

Project RAS 1206, which involves all participating countries, has produced approximately 2,000 guides. “IAEA also collaborates with equipment providers to update the guides for existing nuclear instruments. Participating countries must coordinate and collaborate on any issues with the provided instruments in the future,” Rifai noted.