FEB UNAIR SHOWCASES RESEARCH INNOVATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICE AT HITEX 2025
(FEB NEWS) Tuesday, May 20, 2025 — Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) held the grand Research Invention & Community Development Exhibition (HITEX) 2025 on Tuesday–Wednesday (May 20–21, 2025) at the Airlangga Convention Center (ACC), MERR-C Campus UNAIR. HITEX is a national-scale research exhibition involving 24 State Universities with Legal Entities (PTN-BH) and industrial partners from various national strategic sectors.
The event was officially opened by the Rector Universitas Airlangga, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Nasih, SE, MT, Ak., CA, who expressed his pride in UNAIR being the first host of HITEX. "Coinciding with National Awakening Day on May 20, we commemorate it with activities that are not only ceremonial, but also substantial," he said in his inaugural remarks.
The Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga (FEB UNAIR) took an active part in this event by presenting two superior research booths that highlight innovations in community empowerment and product downstreaming. Present in person at the exhibition were the leaders of FEB UNAIR, namely the Dean of FEB UNAIR – Prof. Dian Agustia, SE, M.Si., Ak., CMA., CA.; Vice Dean I Dr. Wisnu Wibowo, SE, MA; Vice Dean II – Prof. Dr. Nisful Laila, SE, M.Com.; and Vice Dean III – Dr. Ahmad Rizki Sridadi, SE, M.Com.
The two booths displayed by FEB UNAIR came from research groups:
- Center for Innovative Islamic Investment and Capital Market (CIIICAM) chaired by Sulistya Rusgianto, SE, MIF., Ph.D.
- Center for Sociopreneur and Digitalpreneur , chaired by Dr. Gancar Candra Premananto, SE, M.Si.
The two research groups presented their outstanding work, the results of their community service program in Kandangan Village, Lumajang, East Java. FEB UNAIR introduced the development of Kandangan specialty coffee as a local commodity that has undergone innovation, quality improvement, and mentoring to prepare it to compete in the national market. This product is part of a collaborative effort within the PPK ORMAWA involving students and lecturers.
Furthermore, FEB UNAIR also presented a program to improve family financial planning literacy for women in the agriculture and fisheries sectors. This program targets groups of female fishermen and farmers to improve their understanding of sustainable household financial management. The activities included education on financial record-keeping, asset management, risk mitigation, and family budget strategy development.
This program directly supports the target of downstreaming research to the community, as set by the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) UNAIR. "The goal is to introduce research and community service results that have the potential for downstreaming. We also invite partners from the business and industrial sectors to facilitate business matching that facilitates research products for application in the community," explained the Head of LPPM UNAIR.
FEB UNAIR's participation in HITEX 2025 strengthens the faculty's commitment to bridging research and community service findings with the real needs of businesses and local communities. Through a social entrepreneurship-based approach and village economic empowerment, the programs presented encourage job creation, capacity building for local economic actors, and the development of superior innovation-based products. This collaboration is expected to catalyze inclusive, grassroots economic growth and accelerate the downstreaming of innovations that support sustainable industrial and infrastructure development.