PRIMA x ITB CEO Summit 2025 Brings Innovation Collaborations to Strengthen Research Ecosystem and Impactful Industries for Indonesia

Bandung, dkst.itb.ac.id – Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) through the Office of the Vice Rector for Research and Innovation (WRRI) successfully held the Research, Innovation, and Community Service Exhibition (PRIMA) x ITB CEO Summit 2025.

This series of events took place on December 15–16, 2025, at two strategic locations: ITB Innovation Park Summarecon and the ITB Ganesha Campus. Carrying the theme "Synergizing, Spreading Inspiration, and Delivering Impact", the event featured a variety of strategic agendas ranging from technology exhibitions, innovation discussion forums, to award presentations for outstanding researchers.

Day One: The Fifth Campus (ITB Innovation Park Summarecon) and Technology Exhibition

The first day's agenda (15/12) was centered at the ITB Innovation Park. The Director of the Science and Technology Area (DKST) ITB, Ir. R. Sugeng Joko Sarwono, M.T., Ph.D., in his opening remarks, outlined the strategic vision for the development of the area to complement ITB's multi-campus ecosystem currently operating in Ganesha, Jatinangor, Cirebon, and Jakarta.

“ITB Innovation Park is an ITB Science Techno Park (STP) area located outside the main campus. Moving forward, this area is expected to develop into ITB's fifth campus within the multi-campus framework,” said Ir. R. Sugeng Joko Sarwono.

He added that the primary function of this area is as a collaboration hub. “This STP is designed as a center of interaction for ITB with the academic community, society, industry, and government, with a sharp focus on downstreaming activities. Shared laboratory facilities are available in this area to foster collaborative research and innovation,” he explained.

In line with this vision, the first day's agenda was highlighted by the PRIME STeP Technology Exhibition and the Innovation Discussion Forum, which featured more than 17 speakers. The exhibition and discussions focused on four strategic clusters:
Infrastructure and Disaster Mitigation
This session highlighted the urgency of increasing the role of technology and innovation in minimizing disaster risks and impacts in Indonesia. The discussion brought together stakeholders from academia, government, environmental experts, and industry players to discuss cross-sectoral approaches to building more adaptive and sustainable disaster mitigation systems.
Food and Health
Discussed the strategic role of technology and innovation in addressing future food security and health challenges. The discussion emphasized the importance of synergy between scientific research, industry, and sustainable innovation to ensure the availability of safe, nutritious food, alongside a resilient health system that adapts to global changes.
Smart Technology and Digital Connectivity
Highlighted the strategic role of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (AIoT) in driving digital transformation across sectors. A robust digital infrastructure, supported by top talents and cross-sector collaboration, was considered an essential prerequisite for accelerating national digital transformation.
Transportation Engineering and Energy
Through this session, the speakers agreed that synergy between research, industry, and regulators is a key element in accelerating the development of sustainable, competitive transportation and energy systems capable of supporting national energy transition targets.

Through these clusters, PRIMA ITB 2025 showcased innovative solutions to address national development challenges, ranging from disaster mitigation to sustainable energy development. This was reinforced by the statement of the Vice Rector for Research and Innovation of ITB, Prof. Ir. Lavi Rizki Zuhal, Ph.D., who emphasized that strategic partner collaboration is the key to ensuring that research outputs from the Innovation Park deliver a tangible impact to the community.

Day Two: Strategic Panels and Ministerial Directives

The series of activities continued on the second day (16/12) at the Ganesha Campus with the main agenda being the PRIMA Talk Show, which featured two primary panel sessions:

1. Deep-Tech for Industry and Green Manufacturing: Discussing industrial transformation through advanced technology.
2. Bio Industry and Resilience Tech: Delving into biology-based innovation for sustainability.

Opening this session, the Rector of ITB, Prof. Dr. Ir. Tatacipta Dirgantara, M.T., stated that the integration of PRIMA and the CEO Summit is a strategic step to bring together researchers, industry leaders, and startups in a single forum to accelerate downstreaming.

Present to provide directives, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Brian Yuliarto, Ph.D., emphasized the importance of demand-driven research and the active role of industry partners (off-takers).

“The presence of industry partners to absorb innovation outcomes is an absolute prerequisite so that research does not stop in laboratories. The matching fund scheme must be utilized to bridge this gap from the outset, ensuring the sustainability of innovation results through to mass production,” Minister Brian asserted.

Technical policy support was also delivered by the Director General of Research and Development of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Dr. Fauzan Adziman, S.T., M.Eng. He presented strategies to overcome the Valley of Death in research commercialization.

“Kolaborasi hilirisasi Government–Industry–University “Government–Industry–University (GIU) downstreaming collaboration is the key. Research is directed toward meeting the actual needs of the industry (industry pull), while simultaneously curating top-tier university products until they are market-ready (technology push),” explained Fauzan.industry pull), sekaligus mengkurasi produk unggulan perguruan tinggi hingga siap dipasarkan (technology push),” papar Fauzan.

Appreciation and Commitment to Sustainability

As the pinnacle of appreciation, the event was also enlivened by the presentation of the PRIMA Awards. The awards were dedicated to lecturers who achieved brilliant accomplishments in the fields of research, innovation, and community service, alongside special appreciation for the most favorite Faculty/School booth.

The holding of the PRIMA and CEO Summit 2025 serves as a tangible manifestation of ITB's commitment to accelerating technological downstreaming. Through this synergy, ITB is determined to ensure that every research and innovation activity produced remains relevant, sustainable, and delivers a broad impact on national development.