Jakarta, INTI - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is strengthening international collaboration in the development of cyclotron technology through a partnership with the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT).
The Head of BRIN's Accelerator Technology Research Center (PRTA), Muhammad Rifai, stated that this collaboration opens up significant opportunities to improve research capacity and the quality of human resources in Indonesia.
"Through this collaboration, we can learn from TINT's experience in operating and utilizing cyclotron facilities. This is an important step in strengthening BRIN's technological and human resource capacity," he said during a technical visit by a TINT delegation to the BJ Habibie Science and Technology Area (KST) nuclear facility in Serpong.
BRIN and TINT Will Exchange and Share Expertise
The cyclotron itself is a crucial nuclear technology used for isotope production, nuclear physics research, and medical and industrial applications. In this collaboration, TINT has the ability in developing its own beam line cyclotron, while BRIN has cyclotron facilities that can be further developed. With both conditions, the collaboration can open opportunities for knowledge exchange.
"We learn from TINT in beam line construction, while they learn from BRIN regarding cyclotron concepts, including dosimetry calculations and facility maintenance," explained Rifai.
The collaboration is carried out through a joint research and capacity building program, which allows for researcher exchanges, expert visits, and shared facility utilization. Going forward, the collaboration will focus on more applied research, such as food irradiation and preservation, medical device sterilization, and the development of future energy sources, such as plasma fusion, through the tokamak facility currently being developed by TINT.
"Hopefully, in the future, Indonesia will also have a tokamak or plasma fusion facility at BRIN, so that it can be utilized by researchers and the public in the future," said Rifai.
Collaboration Will Expand Technology Development and Commercialization
TINT Executive Director, Thawatchai Onjun, believes this collaboration benefits both parties because each has its own strengths and a common goal. He also added that future collaboration will expand to the development of fusion technology and the commercialization of nuclear applications.
"Each institution has unique strengths, but with the same goal: to utilize nuclear technology for society, whether in the medical, industrial, or academic research fields. Through this collaboration, we can develop more rapidly because we have a common focus and targets," he said.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Nuclear Facility Management Directorate (DPFK) of BRIN, R. Mohammad Subekti, viewed this collaboration as a strategic step with Indonesia's strength in basic sciences, while Thailand is more advanced in developing a nuclear industry ecosystem.
"Especially in terms of basic sciences, perhaps we can share a lot with Thailand. However, Thailand can provide us with many lessons in penetrating difficult areas, particularly in developing a nuclear energy-based industrial ecosystem," he concluded.
This technical visit was a follow-up to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BRIN and TINT on research and innovation cooperation in nuclear technology, including the development of the 13 MeV DECY Cyclotron and its beamline.
Conclusion
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is strengthening its collaboration with the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) in developing cyclotron technology through a joint research and capacity-building program, which includes researcher exchanges and facility utilization. This collaboration allows for the exchange of expertise, with BRIN on cyclotron concepts and facilities and TINT on beamline development. The collaboration is directed towards applications such as medical, industrial, and food, as well as the development of future energy technologies and opening up opportunities for the commercialization of nuclear technology.
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