Bandung, lpik.itb.ac.id- Technology has become the backbone of a nation's progress in the era of globalization and the 4.0 industrial revolution. In Indonesia, the utilization of technological potential is the main focus in improving competitiveness and economic progress. However, often research on campus has problems in finding the right solution for the market.
To break down these barriers, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) is proud to present the ITB i-Teams Program, an initiative focused on knowledge transfer and the commercialization of university discoveries. The programme was inspired by the success of the Cambridge i-Teams Programme of the University of Cambridge, which has had a positive impact in the commercialisation of university discovery and social innovation.
i-Teams has been groundbreaking in the way academic research impacts society. They have been successfully bringing innovation from the laboratory to the market for more than a decade. With this history of success, i-Teams is expanding its initiatives worldwide, including in the ASEAN region, in the ASEAN i-Teams program. In Indonesia, ITB pioneered the implementation of this program, working with the Cambridge i-Teams team and the Centre for Global Equality (CGE) to introduce it to universities in the country.
The ITB i-Teams program lasts for eight weeks, starting from February 5, 2024 to March 25, 2024. The program consists of a series of interesting weekly workshops and classes, designed to provide students with important insights in terms of mastery of communication, interview skills, and navigation of commercialization complexities. Team meetings with mentors become a dynamic forum where students can develop concepts and discuss their practical implementation.
In the dynamic landscape of ITB, the focus of the ITB i-Teams Program is on two areas: health technology and artificial intelligence (AI). The programme selects three research projects for its first year, two from ITB and one from Cambridge University.Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, students are invited to sharpen innovative ideas and connect with relevant industry experts.
At the closing ceremony on March 25, 2024, the presentation teams from each project showcased their results. The ceremony was attended by a team of inventors, mentors, representatives from Cambridge i-Teams, Centre for Global Equality, BRIN, as well as deans and heads of study programs from faculties at ITB.
Ernawati Giri Rachman, an inventor who heads one of the case projects in the ITB i-teams, stated that the ITB i-Teams program is very useful for inventors to find the right research direction according to market needs and expand industrial networks.
Through LPIK ITB, this program will be carried out for two years. It is hoped that this program can attract more interest from students and expand the scope of research. With the implementation of thei-Teams Program at ITB, ITB is expected to be a pioneer in duplicating this program to other universities throughout Indonesia, as well as being one of the main driving forces in advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
