Future issues in the field of bioengineering are increasingly dynamic and require an interdisciplinary approach. To answer this challenge, the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI) formed the Institute for Biosystem and Bioengineering (IBB). The Institute, which is under the Engineering Interdisciplinary Education and Research Unit (UP2IK), has a vision to improve the quality of life by developing materials, tools, processes systems and technologies are supported by multidisciplinary research and leverage native natural resources.
On Wednesday (08/03), FTUI carried out the launching of IBB which will implement the concept of cross-disciplinary research and academic activities from 7 Departments in FTUI. Some of the research areas that will be the focus of this institute include:
- Bioenergy Products and Systems,
- Bioprocess and Biorefinery,
- food Biotechnology,
- Marine Biotechnology,
- Bioseparation Engineering,
- nanobiotechnology,
- Cell and Tissue Engineering,
- Environmental Biotechnology,
- Applied Microbiology,
- lab-on-a-chip device,
- biomaterials,
- Protein Biocatalysis and Engineering,
- Biomedical Engineering.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU, in his remarks said “IBB is an FTUI effort that has been initiated in recent years to support a multidisciplinary innovation ecosystem at FTUI. We hope that in the future IBB can support the research process and even downstream innovation by responding to challenges related to food production, infectious diseases, pollution, and environmental damage that is happening in our society.”
Further in his presentation, Dr. Muhamad Sahlan, S.Si., M.Eng. as Director of IBB added “IBB will consist of several research centers, advanced laboratories, and postgraduate programs. Currently, there are 2 research centers that are actively conducting research in the field of health technology, namely the Research Center for Biomedical Engineering (RCBE) and the Research Center of Biomass Valorization (RCBV).”
Separately, the Head of the FTUI Interdisciplinary Engineering Education and Research Unit, Prof. Dr. Ir. Widodo Wahyu Purwanto, DEA., added that the IBB facility will include the Advanced BioEngineering Lab (ABEL) and the Biological Systems Engineering Lab (BSEL) which will be integrated into the planned construction of the FTUI InterDisciplinary Engineering (IDE) Building. This is in accordance with the spirit of FTUI Excellence with Impact to provide a wider space for scientific development and to support a biological engineering-based research climate equipped with the latest technology.
The launching of IBB this time also coincided with a webinar on the AFOB Indonesia work meeting regarding Bioengineering. This webinar presents three keynote speakers, namely Dr. Carina Joe from the University of Oxford who is part of the team developing the Covid-19 vaccine, Astra Zaneca, Agustine Christela Melviana as Biotechnology and Seed Manager from CropLife Indonesia, and Mr. Chin Chieh Loh as Cell Analysis Field Application Scientist from Agilent Technologies Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd.
Dr. Carina Joe in her presentation entitled “Manufacturing a chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to meet global needs” shared stories about her experiences and challenges in developing viral vector vaccines research with the Oxford/Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing team. to produce more than 2 million doses to meet the needs of various countries in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, in his presentation regarding “Association Collaboration to Improve Advanced, Independent, and Modern Indonesian Agriculture”, Agustine Christela Melviana re-emphasized the importance of continuing bioengineering research in order to advance Indonesian agriculture. Then, in the last session of the webinar, Mr. Chin Chieh Loh added an explanation regarding Cell Analysist Research and opportunities for collaboration with Agilent Lates Technology.
The IBB Launching activity which was held at the Makara04 Smart Meeting Room was attended by FTUI leaders including the Dean, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU.; Head of Innovation Entrepreneurial Unit, Dr. Muhamad Sahlan, S.Si., M.Eng.; Head of Engineering Interdisciplinary Education and Research Unit, Prof. Dr. Ir. Widodo Wahyu Purwanto, DEA.; Manager of Student Affairs, Research and Community Service, Dr.rer.pol. Romadhani Ardi, S.T., M.T .; Manager of Public Communication and General Administration, Tikka Anggraeni, S.Sos., M.Sc., CPR.; Head of the Civil Engineering Department, Ayomi Dita Rarasati, S.T., M.T., Ph.D .; Head of the Electrical Engineering Department, Dr. Eng. Arief Udhiarto, S.T., M.T.; Head of Chemical Engineering Department, Dr. Bambang Heru Susanto, ST., MT.; and Secretary of the Entrepreneurial Innovation Unit and Head of Logistics, Dr. Imam Jauhari Maknun, S.T., M.T., M.Sc.
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Bureau of Public Communications
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia