The ITB Hackathon Series 2026 brings together participants from various backgrounds across four strategic fields: Agentic AI, Chip Design, DeepTech for Smart X, and Genomics. The event is open to the public, including academics, students, researchers, startups, professionals, and industry partners. Overall, participation is expected to reach approximately 50 individuals or teams.

This cross-sector involvement plays an important role in connecting university research with industry needs, entrepreneurship, and real-world challenges faced by society.

The event was also attended virtually by the Director General of Research and Development at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), Dr. Fauzan Adziman, S.T., M.Eng.

Bridging Research and Commercialization

Dr. Fauzan Adziman stated that the Hackathon program is part of broader efforts to promote the commercialization of research-based technologies, or deep tech, while addressing challenges that often arise during the transition from research to practical application and commercialization.

He emphasized the importance of understanding problems before developing products. Beyond technical capabilities, future talent must also possess three essential competencies: problem-solving, creativity, and resilience.

"The Hackathon is expected to go beyond being merely a competition and serve as a gateway to further mentoring and development. Through this process, research-based innovations are expected to contribute to the creation of high-skilled jobs and provide solutions to various technological disruptions," he said.

Meanwhile, ITB Director of Technology Product Downstreaming and Commercialization, Ir. Hary Devianto, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., IPM, ASEAN Eng., highlighted that one of the main challenges facing universities is advancing research outcomes through downstream development until they become solutions that deliver added value.

According to him, the success of a hackathon should not be measured solely by the number of participants or winners, but also by the sustainability of the solutions developed, technology commercialization, and their tangible impact.

"Therefore, collaboration between academia and industry needs to be established from the outset to ensure that the innovations developed align with users' needs," he said.

The four hackathon fields are designed to address diverse technological needs. Agentic AI focuses on developing artificial intelligence agents to enhance productivity, knowledge management, services, and process automation. Chip Design encourages participants to translate industry requirements into chip designs that can be validated.

Meanwhile, DeepTech for Smart X focuses on developing intelligent systems for infrastructure, energy, industry, smart cities, the Internet of Things (IoT), and connected systems. "The Genomics field, on the other hand, encourages the use of biological data in healthcare, food security, biodiversity, and the bioindustry," he added.

Encouraging Indonesia to Become a Technology Developer
Chair of the DeepTech for SmartX Hackathon ITB Series 2026 Organizing Committee, Prof. Dr. Ir. Suhono Harso Supangkat, M.Eng., emphasized that technology development must encompass the entire value chain, from upstream to downstream, covering semiconductors, chips, and computing infrastructure to algorithms, large language models (LLMs), and their various applications in government, industry, and urban environments.

According to him, the development of artificial intelligence should be viewed more broadly as a process of utilizing data to support faster and more accurate decision-making.

"Through this initiative, Indonesia is encouraged not only to become a technology user, but also to increase local content, develop domestic industries, and foster technology-based startups," he said.