Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) received a visit from the President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), Prof. Tan Eng Chye, and a delegation of NUS representatives (2/9). The meeting with the Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Prof. dr. Ova Emilia, M. Med.Ed., Sp.OG(K)., Ph.D., was followed by visits to two UGM locations: the Fasilitas Kerohanian and Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas (GIK), two exclusive facilities owned by Universitas Gadjah Mada. This meeting marked an important moment to strengthen cooperation between the two institutions in the fields of innovation and business development.
Hargo Utomo, Director of Business Development at UGM, explained several development programs currently being implemented by UGM. One of the flagship programs highlighted was the construction of GIK, which is expected to become a super creative hub. “GIK will be a center of creativity and innovation, a place where brilliant ideas from various disciplines meet to create impactful solutions for society,” said Hargo.
During the visit, the framework for social investment cooperation between GIK and NUS Enterprise was also discussed. This collaboration is expected to continue to grow without limits, opening up new opportunities for greater innovation. “This social investment network framework has no boundaries, we hope this collaboration will continue to grow and benefit both parties,” added Hargo.
During the NUS visit to GIK, several startups developed by UGM were also introduced, such as Helber, Inspirasien, Lokality, Eco 3D Print, Fumalife, AMX UAV, Zona Farm, and Banoo. Some of these startups received grants through the PRIME STeP program, a collaboration between ADB, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Directorate of Business Development at UGM through the Innovative Academy, which fully supports these activities with mentorship facilitation, co-working space, worldwide networking, as well as multi-year funding and access to UGM resources (laboratories, research, business units, etc.). These startups are tangible proof of UGM’s commitment to encouraging students, alumni, and the entire UGM academic community to continue innovating and providing solutions to various challenges faced by society.
In addition, UGM also presented the Global Innovation and Future Technology (GIFT), an international event planned to be held in November 2024 at GIK. GIFT is expected to be a forum for young talents from around the world to innovate and share ideas.
The visit of NUS Enterprise emphasized the importance of cross-country collaboration in building a sustainable innovation ecosystem. With the increasingly close synergy between UGM and NUS, it is hoped that more innovations will emerge that provide positive impacts for the wider community. (Writer: Dinda/Editor: Danny/Photo: DPU Docs.).