Australia supports Indonesian earthquake experts

A new generation of Indonesian earthquake scientists will be trained through an Australian-funded graduate research program launched in Bandung today.

The new program has been created through a partnership between the Indonesian Agency for Disaster Management, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and the Bandung Institute of Technology.

“Indonesia has more earthquakes than any other country in the world. This program is vital to ensure the continued world-class development of Indonesia’s scientific knowledge ensuring lives can be saved and economic losses minimised when earthquakes strike,” said the Co-Director of the Australian Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction, Matt Hayne.

Dr Hayne launched the initiative alongside the head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, Dr Syamsul Maarif.

“Graduates will be experts in identifying and analysing active faults to determine how big and often earthquakes will shake the nation,” said Dr Hayne. “Minimising earthquake risks is also a key focus; graduates will be equipped to help local governments and communities understand and prepare for future disasters”.

Nine Indonesian scientists are already enrolled in the Graduate Research on Earthquakes and Active Tectonics program which Australia is supporting with a A$1.1 million dollar grant over three years.

The program is part of the A$5.5 million National Earthquake Hazard Project – a research partnership between Australia and Indonesia designed to improve Indonesia’s understanding of its earthquake hazards. This will save lives and protect communities by improving building codes, identifying key risks and helping prioritise mitigation actions such as making schools and other key infrastructure more earthquake safe.

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