VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture's Directorate General of Higher Education, Paristiyanti Nurwardani. (ANTARA/Indriani/ac)

As many as 1,300 research projects have been carried out on COVID-19 by several universities during the pandemic, said Paristiyanti Nurwardani, secretary, Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture.

“Up until now, there have been 1,300 researches on COVID-19. They are mostly in relation to swab tests, equipment harmonizing, and ventilators,” she said in Jakarta on Monday.

The research projects, she continued, were carried out by a number of universities from both the public and private sectors. The ministry has compiled all this research and fit it into a book.

"Tomorrow, we will carry out a research book review in regard to the innovation results on COVID-19 handling," she explained.

Paristiyanti added that the Directorate General of Higher Education has disbursed Rp405 billion for COVID-19 handling. The funds are meant to be used to pay volunteer students, improve the quality and capacity at teaching hospitals and medical facilities, procure personal protective equipment, reagents, and COVID-19 detection tools along with RCT PCR kits, and develop and modify innovative products for COVID-19 control efforts.

“The budget has been divided into Rp199 billion for central procurement and Rp205 billion for reallocation of funds to state universities,” she explained.

A total of Rp145 billion has been set aside in the central budget for procuring personal protective equipment, PCR tests, and reagents for state universities, while the rest has been allocated for the payment of volunteers for the months of December and January.

The Ministry of Education and Culture, through the Directorate General of Higher Education, has also provided 22 PCR devices for swab tests at a number of teaching hospitals and medical facilities to allow them to examine as many as 11,000 specimens per day.

“We express our deepest appreciation to stakeholders and volunteers who have worked hand in hand in handling COVID-19,” Paristiyanti added. (ANTARA)