Focus Group Discussion (FGD) of IPB’s Alumni Association for Downstreaming Program of Innovated Products
Directorate of Career Development and Alumni Relations (DPKHA) of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in collaboration with the Alumni Association (HA) of IPB held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the topic "Strengthening Central Board (DPP), Regional Board (DPD), Branch Board (DPC) and the Commissioning Board (DPK) of HA-IPB for Downstreaming Program of Innovated Products of IPB". This was held at Alumni Building of IPB, Bogor, on Saturday (10/12).
Chairman of IPB’s HA, Bambang Hendroyono said that FGD is for all of the HA boards (central, regional , and bracnc) to know as it is a follow-up of reinforcement and consolidation among the boards in helping alma mater with the downstreaming of IPB’s innovative products. FGD will be in line with the downstream program of IPB through the Business Development Directorate, IPB Science Techno Park, Business Incubator Center and Enterprise Development (IncuBie) and PT Bogor Life Science and Technology (BLST) IPB.
He added that innovation can be applied and informed to the community through the downstream programs with the considerations that every innovation must have an idea for a better improvement, every innovation has benefits for the society, such innovations must provide solutions to the existing problems on the field and of course it must have compatibility (innovation does not break the existing regulations).
Vice-Rector for Research and Cooperation, Prof. Dr. Anas Miftah Fauzi in his remarks on opening the event, said this is a means of keeping relationship and a focus group discussion on the downstream programs of IPB’s innovative products. "We need to strengthen upstream-downstream linkages to enhance the added value as well to strive for added value that our farmers can benefit from. We need to apply technology and innovation made by our faculty members and researchers and expand employment. We need to build a system of incentives that stimulate an increased sustainable food production. IPB is expected to continue to bring innovations to research, technology development, and the formulation of policies to develop an optimum and modern agribusiness model in order to realize a resilient national food production system,” he said.
He emphasizes that in nine years consecutively since 2008, IPB has always been a major contributor to the most prospective innovation in Indonesia as assessed by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education together with the Business Innovation Center (BIC) Indonesia. IPB’s total innovations in 2008-2016 is 359 innovations out of the 936 Indonesian innovations, the highest number compared to those of other universities andresearch institutions. IPB’s role in generating innovation is increasingly significant, and IPB’s reputation is getting better in both national and international arena. On August 10, 2016, IPB obtained an Intellectual Property Award 2016 from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education for the category of the most prolific centers of Intellectual Property and Cooperation with Foreign Researchers. In March 2016, IPB was announced to be one of the 100 best universities in the world by QS World University Ranking by Subject namely Agriculture and Forestry.
Meanwhile, according to Managing Director of BLST, Dadang Syamsul Munir said PT BLST in support of the downstream of IPB’s innovative products is developing IPB Science Techno Park as an area of ??innovation development in agriculture, food and bioscience in Indonesia. IPB Science Techno Park is an area of ??innovation development and an integrated area that is used for the development and commercialization of innovative products and services in the fields of tropical agriculture, food and bioscience in Indonesia, supported by facilities and infrastructure as well as conducive regulations. Downstreaming of innovative products from research by our researchers is an answer to the state need for the national food supply and its derivatives for hundreds of millions of Indonesian people," he said.
This FGD was divided into two sessions discussing the various innovations of IPB. The first session talked about high-yielding rice of IPB 3S, innovation of excellent varieties of crops and food innovation category. The second session was on innovations in biomedicine, feed and fertilizer as well as the innovation machine and instrument. (Mtd)
