The Science Techno Park (STP) building of Universitas Indonesia (UI), located in UI Depok Campus, was inaugurated on Thursday, December 12. The inauguration was carried out by the Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Ir. Togar M. Simatupang, M.Tech., Ph.D, IPU, and the Rector of UI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, accompanied by representatives of the Ministry and UI leaders.
STP UI is one of four science and technology areas in Indonesia that strengthens national research and innovation infrastructure and encourages the transformation of science into innovation. The presence of STP UI is expected to become a center for the development of technology and innovation that is able to compete at the global level. With various facilities and services provided, STP UI will be a catalyst for the development of superior research and accelerate the process of commercializing innovation.
On that occasion, Prof. Togar said that the STP UI Building is an important milestone in supporting UI’s role as a pioneer of innovation and technology development in the country. With facilities that have been designed in a modern and functional way, STP UI is not only a center for research and innovation, but also a space for incubating businesses.
“This building is equipped with superior facilities, one of which is to produce prototypes. This facility allows the transfer of technology and knowledge to encourage national competitiveness, while also answering the needs of strategic sectors in Indonesia, not only in the medical field, but also in defense, agriculture, industry, and education. UI has joined forces following the government’s vision to realize an inclusive and sustainable innovation ecosystem that encourages knowledge-based economic growth,” said Prof. Togar.
Meanwhile, Prof. Heri said that STP UI implements three values that are the foundation of UI’s development in the next five years, namely entrepreneurship, impactful research and innovation, and global competitiveness. To compete with global universities, UI must have experimental apparatus, facilities, and human resources that can be recognized by researchers abroad. In this case, STP can be a center that provides services to researchers from various universities, institutions, and industries who need prototypes from their research. The research conducted must of course answer the needs and be able to provide output and outcomes.
“The STP UI building is an output that then produces outcomes through activities, startups that are born, innovations that are turned into businesses, and various collaborations with industries that are mutually beneficial and have an impact on development in Indonesia. STP UI is also one of the leverages towards global competitiveness in terms of institutional completeness, improving human resources, and becoming an anchor for cooperation hubs between us and leading universities in the world,” said Prof. Heri.
The construction project for the STP UI Building is part of the funding allocation for Surat Berharga Syariah Negara (SBSN, or the State Sharia Securities) with a total budget of 224.8 billion rupiah. According to the Vice Rector for Research and Innovation at UI, drg. Nurtami, Ph.D., Sp,OF(K), until the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, the budget absorption process has reached 87%. All funding is allocated for the construction of buildings and teaching factories in the form of developing facilities in the fields of electronic instruments and medical devices.
The teaching factories available in the STP UI Building consist of the Biomaterial and Biomechanics Laboratory, Supercomputer Laboratory, Implant and Medical Device Teaching Factory, Radiation Biomedical Teaching Factory, Non-Radiation Biomedical Teaching Factory, Food Product Development Teaching Factory, EBT Storage and Conversion Teaching Factory, and Electronic Instrument Teaching Factory.
By utilizing these facilities, STP UI will function as a center for science and technology and an ecosystem that supports collaboration between academics, industry, and government. STP UI is an incubator for technology-based startups resulting from research at UI, as well as a place where innovations can be tested and developed until they are ready to be marketed. In addition, STP UI will play a role in developing competent human resources in the fields of technology and innovation through various training programs, workshops, and mentoring.
drg. Nurtami said, “The STP UI Building, which is an achievement of SBSN funding and Foreign Grant financing, shows UI’s commitment to strengthening national research and innovation. The building that we inaugurated is real evidence of the commitment and synergy of national and international support in building an innovation ecosystem in Indonesia. Hopefully, this step will bring great benefits to our country and nation.”
