About

Prof. Dr. Ir. R. Roosseno Soerjohadikoesoemo was born in Madiun, on August 2, 1908, to R. Roostamadji and R.A. Indran. He spent his wonderful childhood in his hometown Madiun where he was captivated by the sight of the railway bridge over Madiun River. He just wondered how the criss-crossed iron structure held the weight of the trains passing over it, the thing that heavily encouraged him to learn structural engineering.

Rooseno pursued his engineering studies at Technische Hoogeschool Bandung (THS), now known as ‘Bandung Institute of Technology’, and graduated in 1932, as the only Indonesian native students to successfully complete the program among twelve Indonesian native students. Upon graduation he began his career as an assistant to a geodesy professor at THS. In 1934, alongside Soekarno, who would later become the President of Indonesia, Rooseno co-founded Roosseno & Soekarno Engineers Bureau in Bandung. He later moved to Jakarta, where he established an Engineering Consulting Office and started delivering his great work in concrete construction projects.

Owing to his high expertise in concrete constructions, Roosseno was recognized as the father of Indonesian Concrete Construction. He was enormously engaged in various national important development projects including high-rise buildings, bridges, ports, hotels and so on where he delivered his brilliant work. His work also covered important written articles in construction engineering and other academic accounts in Indonesian language, English and Dutch.

Apart from his significantly huge contribution to the nation’s development in terms of engineering, Roosseno also contributed his great work in politics, and governmental assignment and professional associations. He was actively involved in the Indonesia Raya Party and held three cabinet ministers (Minister of Public Works 1953-1954, Minister of Transportation 1954-1955, and Minister of Economy 1955-1956). He was Chairman of the Indonesian National Contractors Association (GAPENSI) from 1968 to 1989, Chairman of the ‘Borobudur Temple Rehabilitation Team’ and Technical Advisor for the Greater Jakarta Province’s Board for Development Technical Advisory (BBPT DKI). He was also a proud and active member of several worldwide organizations such as IABSE (Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering), Zurich, and Federation International de Precontreinte (FIP).

In 1984 Roosseno was awarded with ‘Bintang Mahaputra’, a special-order merit given by the government of Republic of Indonesia for his extraordinary work and contribution to the country.

Roosseno also showed his profound concerns to education and generously devoted his time initiating and chairing some major related educational institutions. He was Dean of Department of Engineering, University of Gajah Mada (where he was the founding father), Director of the National Technical College (‘Sekolah Tinggi Teknik Nasional’) and the Professor of Department of Engineering, University of Indonesia and Bandung Institute of Technology which he initiated and where he was the first Dean.

From 1962 to 1964, Roosseno played a key role in advocating for the award of Honoris Causa Doctoral Degree to Ir. Soekarno, Indonesia’s first President, at the Bandung Institute of Technology. As an individual who had a deep concern for national development, Roosseno expanded his remarkable work to intellectual property protection by establishing Biro Oktroi Roosseno. This initiative stemmed from his wish to see Indonesian intellectual property rights recognized and protected. To initiate this, Roosseno had his pieces of work patented, and paving the way for many other significant Indonesian original great work to be patented through Biro Oktroi Roosseno.

As a result of its pioneering efforts in the related field, Biro Oktroi Roosseno has become one of Indonesia’s leading Intellectual Property Rights consultants. It was then continued to be managed by one of Roosseno’s daughters, Prof. Dr. Toeti Heraty Noerhadi Roosseno, and is currently managed by Toeti’s descendants.

Prof. Dr. Ir. R. Roosseno

Prof. Dr. Toeti Heraty Noerhadi Roosseno, born in Bandung on November 27th,1933, is a figure who refuses to stop creating, keep innovating and taking active roles. With a diverse academic backgrounds – Medical, Psychology and Philosophy – self-actualization has been central to her life’s journey.

This self-actualization has led Toeti to another distinguished achievement in literature and law, where Toeti is well-known as a prominent poet and writer, and intellectual property consultant. She also does painting, organizes musical orchestra, and runs a gallery. It is not surprising that she received the Chevalier des Arts et des Letters from the Jakarta’s Embassy of France in 2006 apart from the previous merit Commandeur in de Orde van OranjeNassau that she received from the Royal Netherlands earlier in August 2, 1996.

Her career began as a professor at the Padjadjaran University in Bandung dan later at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. She has held significant positions such as Chair of ‘Dewan Kesenian Jakarta’ (Jakarta Art Council), 1968 – 1971, Head of the Institut Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Art Academy) 1990 – 1996, and Chair of the Post-doctoral Program in Philosophy at the University of Indonesia, 1991 – 2000.
She generously devoted her time to the Creativity Development Foundation as its chairperson, and served on the Board of Trustees of Indonesia’s Foundation for Legal Aid Board of Trustees. In politics, she was the Chair of National Office of the National Mandate Party, one of Indonesia’s leading political parties.

Toeti contributed remarkable concerns to the development of Intellectual Property by organizing related seminars to help the public to obtain better information and be introduced to the benefits and importance of protections on intellectual property. As the President Director of Biro Oktroi Roosseno she also provided assistance and support to independent and university research institutions for patent registration with the Directorate General of Patents.

She has truly maintained and developed the foundation awareness of intellectual property initiated by her father, Roosseno. She was an Honorable Member of Indonesia Group of AIPPI (Association Internationale pour le Protection de les Propriété Intellectuelle) which she established on August 27, 1998 and served as its first President.

Under her expertise as one of the most experienced intellectual property practitioners, Intellectual Property has become an important issue in Indonesia.

Prof. Dr. Toeti Heraty N. Roosseno