Jakarta, March 15 -- Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Stella Christie called on universities to play a pivotal role in strengthening the local economy through research based on local wisdom.

"Research is the heart of a university's progress. Through strong and sustainable research, universities do more than just produce scientific publications; they provide real solutions that add value to the local economy and community welfare," she said in a press release in Jakarta on Sunday.

Christie emphasized that the higher education sector serves a different purpose than primary and secondary education. While the latter focuses on the transfer of knowledge, universities carry a greater mandate: to generate new knowle...