[Unpad Media Channel] Three professors from the Faculty of Fishery and Marine Science of Universitas Padjadjaran entered the winner of “115 Indonesian Innovations 2023” which was organised by the Business Innovation Center and announced on Wednesday (21/2/2024).
Those three professors are a professor in Tropical Marine Fisheries at Unpad Pangandaran Campus Alexander M.A. Khan, PhD, a professor in the Department of Marine Science Noir Primadona Purba, M.Si, and a professor in High-Quality Talent Department of Marine Science Buntora Pasaribu, PhD. All three of them achieved winners for the four research innovations they proposed.
The four winning research innovations are Sehat Tuna (Sehat untuk Nelayan Indonesia or Healthy for Indonesian Fishermen) developed by Alex, ARHEA developed by Noir, and two innovations in the field of renewable energy developed by Buntora: Turion as a new source of biogas and Portable Autonomous TORGAS. Specifically for the TORGAS innovation, Alex and Noir joined Buntora’s research project.
When being interviewed by Unpad Media Channel, Buntora explained that this event is a platform for the best innovations from Indonesia and the Indonesian diaspora to gather and compete, showcasing the innovations they had developed. Organized since last January 2024, as many as 306 proposals underwent the review process or initial assessment stage.
“This event also has a prestigious and competitive award for the best innovators in Indonesia,” said Buntora.
Buntora said the conducted assessment was highly competitive. The submitted proposals contain innovations along with their achievements, such as prototypes, scientific publications, applications in society, as well as explanations about the profile, benefits, and advantages of the innovations.
After that, the committee conducts an initial selection to determine which proposals or innovations are suitable to advance to the next stage known as the in-review stage. In this stage, the proposals will then proceed to the challenger stage.
Moreover, Buntora explained that as many as 80 proposals from 306 proposals proceeded to the challenger stage. During this stage, the innovation is selected by the last stage reviewer team which consists of CEOs from national big industries, academics, and Indonesian top innovators.
Buntora himself conducts research focusing on renewable energy from the sea and water bodies. This research is intended to help the government in developing blue innovation projects, such as the development of blue energy, blue economy, and reaching net zero emissions by 2045.
“My innovative research also focuses on populations in the most remote islands and coastal areas, where energy access remains a challenge. To ensure sustainability and combat climate change, the government has promoted a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. My idea discusses certain current challenges and contributes to scientific knowledge, however, additional research is required in the future,” he explains.
The research has been applied to the community in the coastal area of Pangandaran. In the future, the research will be extended to coastal communities across an expanded area.
Buntora gained several new perspectives and observed a variety of opinions on the inventions from the judges while participating in this competition. These viewpoints give beneficial fresh insights into the research’s long-term viability.
“Future developments will be more focused on communities and the utilization of marine biomaterials for renewable energy to support future government programs, and there is a possibility that diffusion activities related to this innovation can be carried out and produced for the benefit of the community,” he concluded. (arm/SA)*
