REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Australian Embassy is pleased to announce the first Alumni Grants Scheme recipients in Indonesia, the embassy said on its official website on Friday.

It said that nine applicants were selected from a total of 109 entries.

The Alumni Grant Scheme was launched in October 2014 as a new element of the Australia Awards Indonesia. It aims to contribute to capacity building, knowledge sharing and development activities among the large base of Australian education in Indonesia. Grant recipients will get up to AUD10,000 respectively.

"Congratulations to all successful applicants. Their initiatives will strengthen the partnership between Australia and Indonesia, as well as bring benefits to their professional and local communities," said Dr David Engel, Charg? d'Affaires of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.

One of the recipient, Roby Arya Brata from the Faculty of Social and Political Science, Djuanda University, said, "I am honoured to have been selected as one of the recipient of the inaugural Alumni Grant Scheme."

"Through this research grant, I intend to study the problem of institutional corruption, which, I believe, has an important role in distorting and corrupting the reform and democratic processes of the Indonesian government."

The Alumni Grant Scheme is available only for Australia Awards alumni. It allows individuals or groups of alumni to access grant funding to enhance Indonesia's development and build strong and positive relationships with Australia.