Bandung, November 5, 2024 – The Faculty of Health Sciences (FIKES) at Brawijaya University (UB) continues to strengthen its role in research downstreaming to create health innovations that can be adopted by the industry. As part of this effort, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the Research and Community Service Board (BPPM) team from FIKES UB made a strategic visit to PT Bio Farma (Persero) in Bandung. Bio Farma is the largest vaccine producer in Southeast Asia, contributing to both national immunization programs and the global market.
Bio Farma: Strategic Role in National Health Resilience
As a company that plays a crucial role in national health resilience, Bio Farma has two main roles:
- Agent of Development
- Ensuring national health resilience through the development of vaccines and strategic health technologies.
- Supporting the targets of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), including the provision of 14 key antigens that need to be promptly supplied.
- Value Creator
- Ensuring the sustainability of the industry by producing products that not only benefit global health but also have strong economic value.
“The Ministry of Health aims for Indonesia to master mRNA technology, which is currently the focus of vaccine development in various countries. To support this, Bio Farma is opening opportunities for collaboration with various domestic universities, including UB,” said Dr. Evi Sylvia, Pharm, MBA, from the Institutional Relations Division of PT Bio Farma.
Bridging Academia and Industry
During this meeting, FIKES UB and Bio Farma discussed various strategic aspects related to the development of new vaccines. One of the main focuses was the potential collaboration in research innovation for diabetes and shigellosis vaccines currently being developed by lecturers from the Nursing Department at FIKES UB.
The Head of BPPM FIKES UB, Ns. Elvira Sari Dewi, S.Kep, M.Biomed, stated that many research results at FIKES UB stop at the laboratory stage or merely become scientific publications. However, with industry support, this research can progress to the production and marketing stages. “We gained valuable insights into the steps needed to achieve this goal. This collaboration can pave the way for FIKES UB’s research to be downstreamed,” she said.
Challenges and Strategies in Research Downstreaming
Bio Farma emphasized that in vaccine development collaborations, several factors need to be considered:
- Technology Platform: Determining the most producible technology that aligns with market needs.
- WHO Regulations: Ensuring products meet international standards to penetrate the global market.
- Timeline: Establishing realistic and scheduled research and production stages.
- Market Analysis: Conducting surveys to understand the level of demand, competition, and product pricing in the market.
Additionally, pricing strategies and research efficiency in vaccine development were highlighted. Many research projects use high-quality materials without considering economic feasibility, creating bottlenecks in downstreaming. Therefore, research needs to use materials more efficiently to reduce product costs and enhance market competitiveness.
Next Steps: Synergy Between UB and Bio Farma
As a follow-up to this visit, FIKES UB will further discuss with UB’s Directorate of Innovation and Science & Technology Area (DIKST) to design market penetration strategies for the vaccines being developed. The MoU between UB and Bio Farma is still active, so what is needed now is further technical discussions to design concrete steps in implementing this collaboration.
This visit reaffirms that synergy between academia and industry is key to bringing innovations to a broader level. With close collaboration, university research results will not just remain theoretical but can become real solutions to public health challenges, both in Indonesia and globally.
