On 15-16 June 2016, a consortium of research funding institutions consisting of the Research Councils UK (RCUK), the Indonesia Science Fund (Dana Ilmu Indonesia/DIPI), the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), and the National Foundation Vietnam held a two-days workshop at Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.

It aimed to bring together researchers from four countries: England, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is expected that research ideas would be submitted for funding for 2-3 years. The research themes that were the focus of the consortium include 1) Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health, 2) Water Resources, and 3) T ropical Peatlands and Mangroves. The Indonesian party and DIPI were interested in the theme of pollution, peatlands, and mangrove forests.

The 10 researchers who became the Indonesian delegation for this workshop came from various backgrounds, such as biologists, environmentalists, and public health. They were selected by DIPI from a total of around 60 applicants. Almost all of them work for universities, while only SurveyMETER was not affiliated with any university.

Teguh Yudo Wicaksono and Firman Witoelar submitted a research proposal on the long-term impact of forest fires and air pollution. He represented SurveyMETER and Indonesia for the theme of air pollution and health research.

In the RCUK-DIPI workshop, SurveyMETER took the opportunity to introduce data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) to a number of researchers from countries involved in the consortium. During the discussion, many researchers, especially from the UK, seemed enthusiastic and interested in using IFLS data for their research in Indonesia. Most of them are interested in utilizing biomarker data contained in IFLS. The workshop itself has produced a number of research themes initiatives between SurveyMETER and several research institutions from abroad. It helps to expand SurveyMETER's network with researchers in the field of research studies who are relatively new to SurveyMETER and also serves as an opportunity to promote IFLS data to researchers who have never used it. (BC)