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The world’s largest academic research organization, Duke Clinical Research Institute, wants to establish a clinical research center in Indonesia.

Robert L. Taber, vice chancellor at Duke University Medical Center, recently visited the country for the first time, meeting with government officials and private hospital owners. He is hopeful about forming partnerships here.

“We started our first international venture in Singapore in 1999,” Taber told the Jakarta Globe. “We also have relationships in China and India, and I’m now looking at Indonesia because I’m very impressed by what I see here.”

The American research organization, which works with all the major drug companies, specializes in transnational and clinical research.

“We get involved midstream in the development of a drug and then help take it to the market,” Taber said.

Duke is looking to partner with Indonesian public universities and private health care providers to fully engage with the country, he said. Asia is important for the institute’s continued growth, especially as the United States grapples with a severe economic downturn.

“Strategically we want to be in Asia, but we are fully aware that these things take a long time,” Taber said. “You have to build relationships.”

Drug companies worldwide are increasing their development spending but shifting their research operations to Asia, and Indonesia could be a major destination, Taber noted.

“We’re spending a lot of money on development, and clinical research is absolutely key,” he said. “The challenge is knowing when a drug is not going to work, because failure is very costly.”

Duke Clinical Research Institute has a solid reputation for clinical research. It was instrumental in developing the drug Myozyme, which treats a rare genetic disorder called Pompe disease.

Myozyme’s total sales are estimated at $600 million, of which Duke has earned $200 million in royalties. The clinical research institute also publishes research papers on its findings and medical trends.