Various countries have implemented local content policies to protect local products. Most of them focus on the use of local labor and natural resources. The aspect of research and innovation as local content has not been widely adopted. This study analyzes research trends, local content and economic growth that intersect with research and innovation through bibliometric analysis. We use the Research Information System for frequency analysis, VOSviewer for data visualization, and Biblioshiny for metrics and citation analysis. We obtained 134 published research articles from the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, covering the years 2003 to 2023. The results show that the highest number of publications occurred in 2020. The most cited article discussed domestic content and technology intensity. A promising future research topic is the impact of engineering design in increasing local content. It can be developed in the requirements for the auction process.

Indonesia, located on the equator, receives consistent sunlight exposure throughout the year with an average duration of 10–12 hours per day. Therefore, solar PVs, as a new and renewable energy source, are a primary focus for the future. Solar PV is a powerplant that utilizes the photovoltaic effect from direct sunlight energy. The principle of photovoltaics is to convert photon energy from sunlight into electrical energy. Silicon-based solar modules and bifacial solar modules are the most dominant technologies in Indonesia, both for large-scale solar PVs such as floating and ground-mounted solar PV, rooftop solar PV, and off-grid systems in remote areas. Although solar PVs have been built in several countries, including Indonesia, efforts to improve technology, industry, local content, and risk mitigation remain necessary. This relates to efforts to increase solar cell efficiency, enhance domestic industrial capabilities, reduce costs, and minimize risks that arise during the construction process.

Indonesia is currently developing a Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MALE UAV). This vehicle is used as a platform to meet the growing need for aerial surveillance in response to increased threats in border areas, terrorism, and the theft of natural resources, such as illegal logging and illegal fishing. This book chapter will discuss the readiness of the technology innovation ecosystem assessed using a national innovation system concept approach, technology innovation readiness, and efforts to increase the local content level (TKDN) of the MALE UAV. The results indicate that several framework conditions still need to be developed, including establishing certification testing institutions. For technology innovation readiness, the findings show that the domestic manufacturing industry is sufficiently prepared for the airframe component, while the Flight Control System (FCS), Ground Control System (GCS), Communication System (CS), and Weapon System (WS) components still require strengthening. Efforts to increase the local content can be pursued by strengthening the industrial structure and engineering design capabilities.