Universitas Indonesia (UI), through the Directorate of Innovation and Science Techno Park (DISTP), was successfully selected as one of the organizers of the Demoday University Incubator Consortium (UNIIC) 2024 event. This event aims to strengthen collaboration between university incubators from various countries in Asia, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and also South Africa.
Director of DISTP UI, Ahmad Gamal, S.Ars., M.U.P., Ph.D., emphasized the importance of UNIIC’s role in developing the innovation ecosystem in Indonesia. “Collaboration between universities at the international level, as promoted by UNIIC, is very important to strengthen the innovation ecosystem in Indonesia. Through these programs, we can encourage the younger generation to innovate and become entrepreneurs, and make Indonesia a center of innovation in Asia,” said Gamal.
As the host of Demo Day UNIIC 2024, Indonesia presents four renowned universities, namely Universitas Indonesia (UI), Telkom University (Tel-U), Universitas Trisakti, and Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN). This event is an important platform for participants to share knowledge, experiences, and expand their entrepreneurial networks. Through cross-country participation, participants can learn best practices from various cultural and academic backgrounds, while creating strategic collaborations in startup development.
Various excellent programs such as Startup Demo Day, Ideathon, and co-authoring of entrepreneurship books are part of this initiative. These programs not only focus on promoting entrepreneurship and innovation education, but also provide opportunities for students, academics, and industry professionals to interact directly with the global business and startup ecosystem.
In addition, this activity also presents workshops with speakers who are well-known startup practitioners. They share knowledge about important aspects of entrepreneurship, such as business idea development and presentation techniques. In the Coffee Morning Special session, a startup mentoring program at the UI Science Techno Park Building, two successful entrepreneurs, namely Ibnu Sina Wardy (Founder of Gits Indonesia) and Indra Purnama (CEO of PT. Bara Inovasi Semesta) shared their experiences. This session was moderated by the Head of the DISTP UI Business Incubator Sub-Directorate, Prasandhya Astagiri Yusuf.
The startup mentoring event held on September 28 was supported by funding from the Promoting Research and Innovation through Modern and Efficient Science and Technology Parks Project (PRIME STeP) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemendikbudristek RI). This support is part of the government’s efforts to encourage innovation and international collaboration, which is expected to bring significant benefits to the entire entrepreneurial community in Indonesia.
With UI’s involvement in the UNIIC 2024 consortium, it is hoped that the innovation ecosystem in Indonesia will be stronger and able to compete internationally, as well as become an incubator for young talents in building technology and innovation-based businesses.
