IKN – Rector of Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK), Prof. Dr. Agus Rubiyanto, M.Eng.Sc., directly reviewed the implementation of the 2026 Indonesian Flying Robot Contest (KRTI) Final in Nusantara Capital City (IKN). The visit was conducted to observe competition readiness, monitor activities on site, and see firsthand the various aerial vehicle innovations developed by university students from across Indonesia.

During the visit, the ITK Rector observed the Vertical Take Off Landing (VTOL) competition at Plaza Ceremony IKN as well as the Technology Development (TD) division. He also reviewed participants’ readiness, aircraft conditions, testing processes, and the technologies developed for each competition category.

For ITK, holding KRTI in IKN is more than presenting a technology competition. The presence of universities, students, researchers, and innovators in Indonesia’s new capital is seen as an important opportunity to strengthen an innovation and research ecosystem alongside the development of IKN.

According to the Rector, universities have a strategic role in building that ecosystem. A city’s physical infrastructure can be developed relatively quickly, but innovation requires people who continue to research, experiment, fail, learn, and improve.

“Universities are where those people grow. ITK was established in Kalimantan and is located close to IKN. We feel a responsibility to ensure that IKN does not only use technology from elsewhere, but is also able to create its own technologies through talents developed here,” he said.

The proximity between IKN and higher education institutions also creates wide opportunities for students and researchers to contribute directly to real-world challenges. Issues related to energy, water, transportation, the environment, and urban governance can all become areas for research and technology development.

He emphasized that university research should increasingly be driven by real problems. In this way, student innovations will not stop at academic requirements or publications, but can grow into practical solutions that are tested and implemented.

This spirit is also reflected in the various aircraft presented at KRTI 2026. Participants are challenged not only to develop unmanned aerial vehicles capable of flying, but also to create technologies with functions and approaches that can continue to evolve after the competition ends.

The ITK Rector hopes KRTI can become an entry point for long-term collaboration between the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN), ITK, and other universities. Such collaboration could take the form of joint research, the use of IKN as a technology testing ground, as well as internship programs and student projects addressing actual development and management needs in IKN.

“KRTI should not end as just an event. We want it to become a starting point. After this, collaboration can continue through joint research, the use of IKN as a technology testing area, and student programs within OIKN,” he explained.

According to him, the next challenge is to bring student innovations beyond the competition arena. Many promising technologies stop after winning a trophy, even though they still need mentoring, testing environments, and partners who genuinely require the technology before they can be implemented.

“Many good innovations stop at the trophy. To become useful, they need mentoring, testing spaces, and partners who actually need them. If universities, government, and industry work together, the distance between the competition arena and real-world implementation can become much shorter,” he said.

Looking ahead, the Rector hopes KRTI will not only produce increasingly advanced aircraft, but also technologies that are truly operational and beneficial. He also hopes to see greater participation from universities across Kalimantan and, ultimately, KRTI alumni contributing to the growth of Indonesia’s aircraft and aerospace technology industries.

Through KRTI 2026 in IKN, the competition arena becomes more than a place to test aircraft performance. Amid the development of a new capital city, student innovations offer a broader possibility: that the technologies being tested today may one day become part of Indonesia’s real-world solutions.