BPPT: Puspiptek Serpong to be Indonesian's “Silicon Valley”

BPPT stated that Puspiptek (Pusat Penelitian Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi/The Research Center for Science and Technology) in Serpong is prepared to be the "technopolitan" embryo starting this end of year. Collaborating with Tangerang Selatan government, universities, and local industry, BPPT will realize the area to be the Indonesian “Sillicon Valley” – refer to the famous area around San Francisco that becomes the center for world technology development.

As cited from Berita Satu, the Deputy of Pengkajian Kebijakan Teknologi (The Study for Technology Policy) BPPT, Tatang A Taufik affirmed that a technopolitan requires decent science and technology infrastructure, physical infrastructure, business base, and human resources from related universities and research center.

He added, "a technopolitan should has strong support from political leader, academicians, entrepreneurship culture, relationship between scientific community and technopreneur, information link, incubator, and technopolitan image."

Beside 300 hectare Puspiptek Serpong, Tangerang Selatan also has 14 universities to support this massive dream. In addition, good infrastructure, incentive, and regulation are required to assure investors to pour their money on it.

Sillicon Valley, in the US, is an area where lies big technology companies and famous venture capitalist. It's supported by two prestigious universities: Stanford University and UC Berkeley. One of the big companies in Sillicon Valley is Marvell Technology, a semiconductor company established by two Indonesians, Sehat and Pantas Sutardja, who studied at UC Berkeley.

Should the Puspiptek Serpong area really becomes an integrated technopolitan territory, will technology startup enthusiasts welcome it with big hands?