Academia
Governance gap leaves academic freedom vulnerable to exploitation because academic repositories and open scholarly platforms operate on trust.
Scientific publication illustration (Shutterstock/aminebeta)
The recent 15-page preprint on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) repository, titled “Nobel Peace Prize 2026 Free Meal Program by the National Nutrition Agency Building Smart Business for Food Security Industry and Indonesia's Economic Growth”, is both surprising and concerning. The 64-page document includes extensive appendices containing proof of submission to the Nobel committee, signed declaration forms and, notably, some official Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) registration certificates. Issued by the Law Ministry and signed by the Copyright and Industrial Design Director, the certificates show various different innovations and list the names of the creators, including President Prabowo Subianto and French President Emmanuel Macron. A question arises given that the registration procedure requires the submission of official identification documents for every creator listed in the application.
A closer examination of the author's SSRN profile reveals an astonishing volume of work. As of early August 2026, 44 papers had been published under the author’s profile. A proposal nominating the free nutritious meal program for the Nobel Peace Prize was uploaded on March 31, and has been downloaded over 23,000 times. Approximately 40 of these 44 uploaded manuscripts explicitly link their subject matter to the Nobel Peace Prize, with most listing the author as the lead alongside Prabowo Subianto.
