The Institute for Agromaritime Development and Innopreneurship Acceleration (LPA2I) at IPB University successfully organized the Presentation and Interview Selection for the Innovation Development and Startup Incubation Proposal of the IPB PRIME STeP 2026 Program in collaboration with a team from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. The event took place on May 7–9, 2026, at the STP IPB Startup Center Building, Taman Kencana Campus, Bogor City.
The Promoting Research and Innovation through Modern and Efficient Science and Technology Parks (PRIME STeP) program is an effort to strengthen the research-based innovation and startup incubation ecosystem at universities. Through this program, selected innovators will receive product innovation development funding ranging from IDR 300 million to IDR 900 million. Meanwhile, selected startups will receive business development support ranging from IDR 200 million to IDR 500 million, depending on their stage of business development.
In his opening remarks, Dr Handian Purwawangsa, Chairman of LPA2I at IPB University, stated that IPB University is currently building an integrated research and innovation ecosystem spanning the entire value chain.
“Startups play a crucial role in fostering business connectivity among early-stage entrepreneurs, thereby creating stronger collaboration within the innovation ecosystem. Innovation efforts will also be focused on developing products that are ready to be adopted by both the industry and startups for commercialization,” he said.
Laela Sifa, Team Leader of the Directorate of Research and Development Talent Development at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, was also present at the event. She explained that the joint selection at IPB University marked the final stage of a series of events previously held at several universities. “This joint selection was participated in by 75 startups and 51 innovations from various fields,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Deva Primardia Almada, Assistant for the Business Incubator at LPA2I IPB University, explained the technical details of the three day selection process. Each team was given 15 minutes to present their pitch deck before reviewers from the Project Management Unit (PMU) and Project Implementation Unit (PIU), followed by a 30-minute Q&A and discussion session.
“There were six selection rooms, each staffed by two reviewers from the PMU and PIU. All evaluation results were then reviewed in a plenary session to determine the qualifying participants,” he explained.
Through this activity, IPB University hopes to foster more research-based innovations and startups that are capable of growing, are competitive, and provide tangible contributions to industry and society. (*/Rz) (FHD/IAAS)
