Itera Rector Wins Danantara Innovator Award
Bandarlampung (ANTARA) — Institut Teknologi Sumatera (Itera) Rector Prof Dr apt Elfahmi, SSi, MSi, has won the Applied Research and Industrial Impact Award in the Innovator Awards presented by the Danantara Indonesia Investment Management Agency (BPI Danantara Indonesia).
The award recognises his sustained work in developing applied research based on biodiversity, which has produced high-value products for industry, the Itera rector said in Bandarlampung on Friday.
He said that, in recent years, the team at the ITB Centre of Excellence for Nutraceuticals (PUI Nutraceutical ITB), which he leads, had developed technologies to process natural materials and increase the economic value of Indonesia’s biodiversity.
“Some commodities are still sold as raw materials at low prices, even though they could be processed into high-value products,” he said.
With the application of science and technology, he said, this potential could be transformed into innovative products with greater competitiveness and considerably higher market value.
“For example, dried plant leaves exported for US$4 per kilogram can be processed into pure compounds worth US$2,500 per kilogram. Processing and purification technology can raise the economic value of natural materials by 500 to 1,000 times, depending on the product,” he said.
The research has also produced biomarker compounds that were previously imported in large quantities for research and industrial use. They can now be made domestically by a technology start-up based on research conducted at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), he added.
“This success shows that university research can produce not only scientific publications but also commercially valuable products, strengthen technological self-reliance and reduce dependence on imports,” Elfahmi said.
He said his experience in taking research through to commercialisation would help strengthen Itera’s innovation ecosystem.
“We are encouraging research that meets industry needs while adding value to Lampung’s leading commodities, such as cassava, pineapples and sugar cane,” he said.
He urged Itera researchers not to stop at publishing scientific papers, but also to develop technologies that can be applied and used by communities and industry.
“Itera has a major opportunity to play a strategic role in transforming natural resources into high-value-added products. Researchers must continue to deepen their expertise in science and technology so that research delivers real benefits to society and the economy,” he said.