UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) held the 2025 Research Invention & Community Development Exhibition (HITEX) on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the Airlangga Convention Center (ACC), MERR-C Campus. The event was met with high energy and participation.

The exhibition featured a diverse range of research and community development innovations from top universities across Indonesia, including the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and Padjadjaran University (Unpad), along with several industry partners. UNAIR also presented findings from various faculties through interactive booths.

Salt-based product innovations on display

UNAIR’s Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPK) unveiled a series of salt-based derivative products. The booth showcased items such as deodorants, toothpaste, body scrubs, and mouthwash—developed by the Post-Harvest, Processing Technology, and Bioproducts Research Group.

“These products are innovations from the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, utilizing salt derived from Sargassum sp., a type of seaweed,” explained Terry Previo Avianto, M.Si, a lecturer at FPK and a member of the research team.

Avianto emphasized that HITEX 2025 provided a significant opportunity to highlight the results of long-term research efforts. He hoped that these products would soon be ready for commercialization. “This is a golden opportunity to demonstrate that we have products ready for downstream processing and market entry,” he said.

Avianto also hoped HITEX will become an annual event, as it fosters collaboration across research groups. “Collaborating with others brings us closer to the shared goal of commercializing our research products,” he added. He further expressed optimism that more industry partners would join future exhibitions to broaden collaboration opportunities.

Strong visitor engagement

The event attracted a wide range of visitors, who eagerly explored the booths on display. One such visitor, Muzayyanah Mutiara Stani, a student from UNAIR’s Faculty of Public Health (FKM), said HITEX 2025 was an enriching experience. There’s a lot of knowledge to be gained from all the different booths,” she commented.

She found the booth by UNAIR’s Faculty of Vocational Studies especially captivating. It featured an app that teaches users about ancient temple construction and its historical significance.

She said HITEX 2025 greatly expanded her awareness of new technologies and recent research. Stani hoped future editions of the event will be more widely promoted, as many people are still unaware of it. “It could really benefit from more branding—because from what I’ve seen, a lot of people still don’t know this exhibition even exists,” she concluded.

Author: Septy Dwi Bahari Putri

Editor: Yulia Rohmawati