(FEB NEWS) The Closing Ceremony for Batch 1 Internship and the Opening Ceremony for Batch 2 Internship in 2026 was held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at the Surabaya Regional Office IV of the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU). This event is a manifestation of the continued strategic collaboration between the KPPU of the Republic of Indonesia and the Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Airlangga (FEB UNAIR), specifically the Undergraduate Program in Economics.
From FEB UNAIR, this activity was attended by the Vice Dean I, Prof. Dr. Tika Widiastuti, SE, M.Si., and the Coordinator of the Undergraduate Program in Economics, Ilmiawan Auwalin, SE, M.App.Ec., Ph.D. Also present were the leadership and staff of KPPU Regional Office IV Surabaya, including Romi Pradhana Aryo, SE, Head of the Study and Advocacy Division of KPPU Regional Office IV Surabaya, as well as student interns Batch 1 and Batch 2.
The event was held solemnly and filled with appreciation. In his remarks, Romi Pradhana Aryo, SE expressed his gratitude for the contributions of Batch 1 students during their internship program. He emphasized that the students' involvement in analyzing business competition issues provides added value to the study and advocacy process within the KPPU environment, particularly in the working area of Regional Office IV, which includes East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). He also hoped that Batch 2 students would take advantage of this opportunity to deepen their understanding of the dynamics of business competition, public policy, and market surveillance practices in the region.
As part of the closing ceremony, Batch 1 students presented a final report covering economic news analysis, weekly food price monitoring, and involvement in various official activities in the Research and Advocacy Section. During the internship, students supported the mapping of business competition issues and market monitoring in East Java, Bali, NTB, and NTT as part of the KPPU's regional oversight function. All Batch 1 participants were declared successful and received certificates as a token of appreciation for their dedication and performance during the internship.
This internship program provides students with a practice-based learning environment to apply economic theory to an institutional context. Students are not only involved in research and advocacy activities but are also encouraged to develop business competition issues as relevant and contextual academic research topics, aligned with the economic characteristics of the Regional Office IV's work area.
Officially, the Internship Batch 1 of 2026 was closed and the Internship Batch 2 of 2026 was opened at the end of the activity, marking a joint commitment to maintaining the continuity of institutional collaboration between FEB UNAIR and KPPU Regional Office IV Surabaya.
This program supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) through experiential learning and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by strengthening students' competencies and work readiness in the field of business competition supervision.
The collaboration between FEB UNAIR and KPPU Regional Office IV Surabaya is expected to continue and develop in order to produce graduates who are superior, adaptive, and ready to contribute to strengthening national economic governance and competitiveness, especially in the regions of East Java, Bali, NTB, and NTT.