DKST ITB Holds the 2026 Korea-Indonesia Innovation Conference, Marking the Formation of KIIP as an Indonesia-Korea Collaboration Platform

BANDUNG, dkst.itb.ac.id – Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) through the Directorate of Science and Technology Park (DKST) held the 2026 Korea-Indonesia Innovation Conference (KIIC) at ITB Innovation Park, Summarecon Bandung, on Tuesday (7/1/2026). This forum brought together universities, industry, government, startups, investors, and research institutions from Indonesia and South Korea to strengthen innovation collaboration, accelerate research downstreaming, while also marking the launch of the Korea-Indonesia Innovation Partners (KIIP) as a sustainable collaboration platform between the two countries.

KIIC 2026 is part of ITB's efforts to expand its international partnership network while bridging research results with industry needs. The launch of KIIP was marked by the signing of a collaboration between ITB alongside Dongmin Co., Ltd., Onnamu Co., Ltd., and PT Mediasi Indonesia. The platform will serve as an innovation hub that facilitates joint research, technology transfer, business matching, startup development, and the commercialization of research results.

During the event, KIIC 2026 presented three main sessions, namely Food and Agricultural Innovation, Digital Innovation and Creative Technology, and Beauty and Healthcare Innovation. In addition, the Business Matching agenda brought South Korean companies together with researchers, research centers, business units, and ITB startups to explore collaboration opportunities, technology investments, as well as innovative product development.

ITB Vice Rector for Communication, Partnership, Alumni, and Administration, Dr. Andryanto Rikrik Kusmara, S.Sn., M.Sn., emphasized that collaboration among universities, industry, and international partners is an important foundation in accelerating research downstreaming. According to him, the formation of the Korea-Indonesia Innovation Partners (KIIP) at the ITB Innovation Park is expected to become a long-term collaboration platform that strengthens technology transfer, innovation development, and industrial partnerships between Indonesia and South Korea.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Director for Technology Transfer of DKST ITB, Rofiq Iqbal, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., stated that the Korea-Indonesia Innovation Conference (KIIC) was designed not only as a discussion forum but also as a space for the birth of collaborations that produce a real impact. "We want KIIC to be more than just a conference. We designed this forum as a space for the birth of real collaboration between Indonesia and Korea, so that innovation does not stop as a research result, but is able to develop into solutions that provide economic and social benefits," he said.

The implementation of KIIC 2026 is part of the INNOVIBES 2026 series, which also presented an innovation exhibition, an open house of the ITB Innovation Park, and the Pre-National Congress of the Indonesian Technology Transfer Association (PRAMUNAS PTTI). Through the formation of KIIP, ITB hopes that the Indonesia-Korea collaboration can continue to develop into a strategic partnership that accelerates research downstreaming, strengthens industrial competitiveness, and makes a real contribution to knowledge-based economic development in both countries.