Leading research at the institutional level is based on the following:

1. Indonesia 2005-2025 White Book of the Ministry of Research and Technology Republic of Indonesia.
2. Book Masterplan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Development (MP3EI) 2011-2025.
3. Abilities possessed by the Expertise Group (KK).
4. Trends in technological developments that develop in the next 20 years.
5. Telkom University has the characteristics of excellence in science, technology and art, it is necessary to determine the applied science, technology and art in a number of superior fields which are indeed needed by the state and needed by the world.

Based on the considerations above, several leading research areas are determined as follows:

1. Transportation
2. Advanced Material
3. Health and Medicine
4. Energy and Renewable Energy
5. Information and communication technology
6. Social and Humanities

The background to the need for research related to transportation is due to the following:

1. Global economic growth has transformed from an industry-based economy to a science and information technology-based economy,
2. Transportation infrastructure supported by information and communication technology influences global and regional economic movements,
3. Modern and sophisticated transportation technology is supported by information and communication technology.

The objective of the research in the field of transportation based on the background above is to create innovative transportation products and services that are reliable in supporting global and regional economic movements that consider humanitarian and justice aspects.

The gap between current technology and the target to be achieved. At present the transportation management system is still not thoroughly using information technology, so research on information and communication technology-based transportation is still needed.

The background to the need for research relating to Advanced Materials is due to the following:

1. Advanced materials are the basic needs of advanced industries which are one of the indicators of the progress of industrialized countries,
2. Still lack of mastery of advanced material technology,
3. Among the advanced material benefits are to increase the added value and competitiveness of natural resources, reduce import dependency, increase local content, create jobs, and increase tax revenues.

The objective of research in the field of advanced materials is so that advanced materials can be produced domestically. The advanced research material that is the focus of research is advanced rare earth metal materials, materials for energy storage (batteries), functional materials and Nano materials, catalyst materials, and raw materials for the iron and steel industry. Advanced material research is aimed at mastering strategic materials supporting technology products, which among others are focused on: (i) rare earths, (ii) permanent magnetic materials, (iii) solid battery materials, and (iv) silicon-based materials.

The gap between current technology and the target to be achieved. Advanced materials are industry needs that are indicators of the progress of advanced industries. Lack of mastery of advanced material technology, in-depth research is needed to support it.

Latar belakang diperlukannya penelitian berkaitan dengan kesehatan dan obat adalah bahwa Indonesia menghadapi berbagai tantangan kuat di bidang kesehatan masyarakat (Kemenkes, 2015), yaitu:

1. Kesehatan ibu dan anak (angka kematian ibu, angka kematian bayi, dan prevalensi kekurangan gizi) masih memprihatinkan;
2. Gizi masyarakat, atau sering disebut malnutrisi, di satu pihak kekurangan gizi dan kelebihan gizi dengan berbagai akibatnya;
3. Penyakit menular yang masih dominan (56%), seperti demam berdarah, malaria, diare dan AIDS;
4. Penyakit tidak menular yang cenderung terus meningkat, seperti kanker, jantung, darah tinggi, dan diabetes;
5. Penyehatan lingkungan, khususnya yang terkait dengan penyediaan air minum; dan
6. Penyehatan jiwa yang cukup banyak, seperti depresi yang berakibat penyimpangan perilaku. Tujuan penelitian di bidang Kesehatan dan Obat berdasarkan berdasarkan latar belakang di atas adalah untuk mendukung kebijakan riset, industri, dan pemasaran alat kesehatan dan diagnostika yang belum belum ada, dimana kemandirian dan kedaulatan di bidang alat kesehatan belum terwujud. Gap antara teknologi saat ini dan target yang ingin dicapai. Saat ini, Alat kesehatan dan obat masih bergantung terhadap penyedia impor sehingga sangat perlu dilakukan penelitian untuk menciptakan produk lokal yang berdaya saing dengan produk impor.

Tujuan penelitian di bidang Kesehatan dan Obat berdasarkan berdasarkan latar belakang di atas adalah untuk mendukung kebijakan riset, industri, dan pemasaran alat kesehatan dan diagnostika yang belum belum ada, dimana kemandirian dan kedaulatan di bidang alat kesehatan belum terwujud.

Gap antara teknologi saat ini dan target yang ingin dicapai. Saat ini, Alat kesehatan dan obat masih bergantung terhadap penyedia impor sehingga sangat perlu dilakukan penelitian untuk menciptakan produk lokal yang berdaya saing dengan produk impor.

Latar belakang diperlukannya penelitian berkaitan dengan Energi adalah karena beberapa hal berikut:

1. Era minyak murah sudah berakhir.
2. Energi alternatif, meskipun menjanjikan tetapi belum bisa diproduksi demi memenuhi kebutuhan yang ada.
3. Perlu dilakukan investasi sesegera mungkin pada sumber-sumber energi baru.
4. Kita harus belajar melestarikan energi.
5. Energi terkait dengan keamanan nasional.

Tujuan penelitian di bidang energi berdasarkan berdasarkan latar belakang di atas adalah menemukan sumber energi baru/energi pengganti Bahan Bakar Minyak (BBM) yang memenuhi persyaratan berikut:

1. Harus berlimpah.
2. Andal.
3. Terbarukan.
4. Bersih.
5. Terjangkau.
6. Aman.

Alternatif sumber energi pengganti BBM yang diramalkan sangat menjanjikan dan memerlukan perhatian adalah sumber energi hidrogen danteknologi nano. Hidrogen dipilih disini karena beberapa alasan berikut ini:

1. Sumber yang andal. Hidrogen tersedia di alam bebas tanpa batas, dan aman untuk digunakan karena bila bereaksi dengan oksigen hanya menghasilkan air.
2. Hidrogen dapat menyalakan alat transportasi pribadi maupun publik dan berbagai alat, mesin serta kebutuhan lain yang membutuhkan energi.
3. Hidrogen tidak akan bergantung pada monopoli negara manapun, sehingga merupakan investasi yang sangat baik.
4. Ramah lingkungan. Hidrogen menghasilkan air sebagai buangannya, meskipun minyak masih diperlukan untuk menghasilkan bahan bakar hidrogen.
5. Hidrogen sudah berfungsi saat ini. Sebetulnya hidrogen sudah bisa menghasilkan tenaga sekarang ini, hanya masih terlalu mahal dan belum siap digunakan untuk transportasi masal.
6. Jumlahnya tak terbatas. Hidrogen berada di alam ini dalam jumlah tak terbatas.
7. Hidrogen murah dan hemat.

Disamping kedua hal tersebut diatas salah satu alternatif energi lainnya adalah angin. Walaupun demikian, ketersediaan angin masih kurang stabil dan tenaga angin sulit untuk disimpan. Itu sebabnya maka angin tidak menjadi energi alternatif utama.

Gap antara teknologi saat ini dan target yang ingin dicapai. Saat ini teknologi hidrogen masih belum dapat diterapkan secara utuh, sehingga masih diperlukan penelitian agar biaya produksi realistis dan efisiensi cukup baik.Saat ini biaya produksi khususnya untukmembelah molekul dan penyimpanan energi hidrogen ini masih relatif mahal, sehingga biaya produksi menjadi relatif tinggi dan efisiensi belum optimal.

Teknologi nano adalah ilmu baru tentang bagaimana merekayasa molekul-molekul pada skala atomik. Teknologi nano dapat digunakan untuk merancang bentuk-bentuk energi baru atau memecahkan persoalan-persoalan yang akan membuat bentuk-bentuk energi lain menjadi lebih produktif dan berguna. Teknologi nano berperan penting dalam krisis energi karena mewakili platform strategis baru untuk menjalankan proses-proses yang sebelumnya belum bisa. Teknologi nano ini nantinya akan berujung pada dihasilkannya sumber energi baru yang belum pernah terbayangkan sebelumnya. Sampai saat ini beberapa industri minyak telah berinvestasi miliaran dolar untuk riset dan pengembangan energi alternatif, bahan bakar yang terbarukan berikut peralatannya. Teknologi nano akan memicu munculnya kendaraan-kendaraan hibrida, bahan bakar sel, serta solusi sistem transportasi dan energi. Penelitian yang telah dilakukan sampai saat ini diantaranya adalah teknologi nano untuk mengembangkan sel surya, atau nano-atomik yang mengembangkan produk penyimpan nano hidrogen.

The background to the need for research related to information technology is because almost all other research fields need support from information and communication technology. The predicted innovation trends that will succeed in 2025 are as follows:

1. Teleportation between planets.
2. Specific DNA is traded online.
3. Space travel to the moon and mars.
4. Engineering material to make smart products.
5. Four billion people will be involved in trading on the internet.
6. Hydrogen engine for transportation.
7. Human cybernetic health services.
8. Memory and drug transfer system.
9. Household robot.

From the nine innovation trends above, then no. 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9 need strong information and communication technology support. Besides that, for the leading sectors of transportation, health and security, information technology needs to be supported.

The challenges related to the field of Information and Communication Technology in 2040 are as follows:

1. Poverty alleviation through trade and health services. For this, information technology is needed to support it.
2. The realization of global peace and security, which also needs to be supported by accurate information and guaranteed security.
3. Cross-cultural understanding through various media to avoid conflicts and global tensions. Even this really needs to be supported by strong information and communication technology.
4. Global trade which enables entrepreneurs to obtain prosperity and independence and to invest in democratic development in their respective countries. This of course requires high accountability and widespread information dissemination. For that we need the support of strong information and communication technology as well.
5. Communication and the internet will be available to every nation and society.

The objective of the research in the field of Information and Communication Technology based on the background above are as follows:

1. Creating a network in the form of wireless, wide-reaching, so it can be accessed anytime and anywhere.
2. Create a network that can market products, objects and material manufacturers online.
3. The telephone and TV system will be fully integrated with the internet.
4. Developing a kind of “personal awareness” of itself for the internet.
5. Creating a real-time access system to 80% of the world’s total information that can be provided free / low cost.
6. Completing e-mail will be with multimedia and audio and video streaming.
7. Announce real-time video conferencing that can be widely used.
8. Build networks that can be utilized by traders, banks and consumers.
9. Creating a network will become accessible to almost unlimited individuals / parties.
10. Create a system that can guarantee personal secrets, because personal secrets will be recognized as a matter of national security.
11. Internet support equipment that is expected to be as cheap as possible, but fast and smart.

The gap between current technology and the target to be achieved. Until now the technology produced to be able to establish online and secure communication still requires high costs with limitations in realizing communication in real-time, guaranteeing its security and the quality of information it generates. Besides that, there are still many functional needs that cannot be fulfilled as a whole, for example the provision of information in three dimensions, intelligent systems to deal with crime, and others. For this reason, it is necessary to conduct research that can realize communication in real-time, guarantee its security and produce good quality information. Besides that the required costs can be reduced.

The background to the need for research relating to Social and Humanities is as follows:

1. The development of science about business and management is increasingly converging so that empirical results are needed to assist decision makers in running their business.
2. The situation of the rapidly changing external environment affects the achievement of the vision, mission, goals and objectives of an organization.
3. The organization has limitations in adapting external influences to obtain and use its resources.
4. Management of an organization is faced with a problem that does not stand alone.
5. The problem solving process in making decisions is less supported by accurate information.

The objective of research in the field of business management is to increase certain understanding of business and management. Research in management yields solutions to new problems. Knowledge in the form of practical findings will far have relevance and value for managers and business people.

The gap between current technology and the target to be achieved. The diversity of technologies that cause policies in business management to change in every variety. A reason is justified in choosing the combination of technology and business management by the company. Let’s say a company in an industry uses technology to get input in various ways. If all companies do the same there will be competition in terms of getting new technology in order to get far better input. The choice of technology change time for production systems before determining business policy is always associated with the risk of the age of the technology to be used. Thus it can be concluded that there is a positive correlation between the diversity of technology and business management.