bio.fsm.undip.ac.id – reported by Jatengdaily.com, the Rector of Diponegoro University (Undip), Prof. Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si., expressed his appreciation for the achievements of the Center of Marine Ecology and Biomonitoring for Sustainable Aquaculture (Ce-MEBSA) Undip.
As a Center of Excellence, Ce-MEBSA, consisting of a multidisciplinary research team from Undip, has produced various studies and innovations that contribute to the university’s performance indicators at both national and international levels. This effort aligns with Undip’s vision of becoming a world-class research university.
“We encourage and support Undip researchers to continue innovating. Undip continuously promotes research collaborations with businesses, industries, and stakeholders to accelerate research downstreaming towards commercialization,” said the Undip Rector on Thursday (February 20, 2024).
This statement was made during a meeting between the Ce-MEBSA team and its collaborative partners. On the same occasion, a partnership agreement was also signed between Undip and PT Rekayasa Agromarin Indonesia (RAI) as Ce-MEBSA’s partner, focusing on the downstreaming and commercialization of innovation.
The event was attended by key stakeholders, including the President Commissioner of PT RAI, Drs. Imam Kadarisman, M.Si.; the Head of the Jepara Fisheries Office, Farikhah Elida, S.T., M.T.; Undip’s Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, Collaboration, and Public Communication, Wijayanto, S.IP., M.Si., Ph.D.; the Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science at Undip, Prof. Agus Trianto, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D.; the Director of Innovation and Industrial Downstreaming, Dian Wahyu Harjanti, Ph.D.; and the Deputy Director of Innovation and Industrial Downstreaming, Dr. I Made Bayu Dirgantara, S.E., M.M.
Application of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in the Robotic IMTA System for Fish Growth Monitoring and Biosecurity. Photo: Documentation
Winner of Indonesia’s Most Prospective Innovation 2024
The Head of the Center of Excellence Ce-MEBSA at Universitas Diponegoro (Undip), Prof. Drs. Sapto P. Putro, M.Si., Ph.D., who previously served as Chair of the Matching Fund-Kedaireka program in 2021 and 2022, reported to the Rector that Ce-MEBSA successfully became one of the 50 selected proposals in the Indonesia’s Most Prospective Innovation 2024 competition. Out of 226 submitted proposals, only 116 innovations passed the selection process by the Business Innovation Center (BIC), with participants from 28 provinces across Indonesia.
The innovation submitted by Ce-MEBSA is titled Smart Robotic IMTA Cage for Supporting Sustainable Productive Mariculture. The development team includes Prof. Sapto, Dr. Muhammad Helmi, S.Si., M.Si. (Chair of the 2014 Matching Fund Program/Chair of PUI COREM Undip), Erwin Adriono, S.T., M.T., and Drs. Imam Kadarisman, M.Si.
Dr. Muhammad Helmi explained that the Smart Robotic IMTA Cage was developed as a complement to the Multi-Level Circular Floating Net Cage – Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (KJABB-IMTA) system, which had previously been patented. This technology utilizes Internet of Things (IoT)-based devices to ensure the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.
“This innovation integrates seven intelligent robotic modules capable of monitoring water and weather conditions, fish feeding, cage security patrols, solar power supply control, underwater monitoring within the cage, population and fish size tracking, and environmental disturbance assessment,” Helmi stated.
Additionally, Erwin Adriono reported that Ce-MEBSA is also developing a new web-based and Android application called Dokter Ikan. This application serves as an intelligent solution to help fish farmers and aquaculture business operators address fish health issues.
Dokter Ikan allows users to consult with fish health experts and instantly detect fish diseases through image analysis. By utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, the application can analyze fish species and diagnose potential diseases simply by uploading fish photos to the system.
Meanwhile, Drs. Imam Kadarisman, M.Si., emphasized that university innovations are highly anticipated by the industry to create commercializable products.
“Therefore, PT RAI is committed to further expanding the collaboration with the Center of Excellence Ce-MEBSA to implement additional innovations in the development of modern aquaculture,” said Imam Kadarisman.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Jepara Fisheries Office, Farikhah Elida, stated that innovations developed by Undip are highly anticipated to help address various challenges and issues in the fisheries sector in Jepara.
“We are currently collaborating with the Center of Excellence Ce-MEBSA, particularly in IMTA-based aquaculture as well as mangrove crab and blue swimming crab farming using both vertical and horizontal shelter systems,” she explained.
Prof. Sapto emphasized that Ce-MEBSA remains committed to producing innovations through collaborative efforts involving multidisciplinary researchers across different study programs and faculties at Undip.
Several research findings have also been registered for Intellectual Property (IP) protection.
“We have received significant support from external stakeholders, including the business and industrial sectors as well as local governments. This includes the Jepara Brackish Water Aquaculture Center and the Jepara Fisheries Office. One of the key milestones is the signing of a research downstreaming and commercialization cooperation agreement between the Rector of Undip and PT Rekayasa Agromarin Indonesia as Ce-MEBSA’s partner,” said Prof. Sapto, who also serves as the Head of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics (FSM) Undip.
