Surabaya – Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK) attended the 2026 Indonesian Higher Education Summit (KPPTI), held on November 11–13, 2026, at Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) in Surabaya. Centered at the Airlangga Convention Center (ACC) on UNAIR’s Campus C, also known as the MERR-C Campus, the event brought together universities and stakeholders to discuss the future of higher education in Indonesia.

ITK was represented by Riza Hadi Saputra, S.T., M.T., a lecturer in Electrical Engineering; Rijal Surya Rahmany, S.T., M.T., a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering; and Dr. Eng. Samsu Dlukha Nurcholik, S.T., M.Sc., a lecturer in Naval Architecture. Their participation provided an opportunity to gain insights into higher education development and build connections with colleagues from other universities.

The opening of KPPTI 2026 was held jointly with the 2026 Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI) at Grha Sepuluh Nopember, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Following the joint opening, KPPTI activities continued at ACC and other buildings on UNAIR’s MERR-C Campus. The joint event reflected efforts to strengthen connections between higher education, science, technology, and industry.

This year’s summit adopted the theme “Transforming Higher Education for Greater Impact: Integrating Technology and Local Wisdom through Inclusive and Humanistic Approaches.” The theme highlighted universities’ role in developing solutions for communities through education, research, and community service aligned with development needs. The forum also provided opportunities for dialogue and collaboration among government, universities, business, and industry.

In his opening remarks, UNAIR’s rector emphasized the importance of collaboration in responding to advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence, changing workforce demands, and social and environmental challenges. Higher education transformation, he noted, should deliver tangible benefits to communities and contribute to national development.

According to the event agenda, the first day’s sessions addressed university transformation in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), higher education’s role in achieving the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, and universities’ contributions as drivers of the national economy. These discussions offered a platform to examine the relationship between higher education policy and development challenges.

During the opening program at ACC, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology also launched several strategic initiatives. These included the Higher Education Digital Maturity Index, designed to assess universities’ progress in digital transformation, and the GenAI Framework, which provides guidance on the use of generative artificial intelligence. Both initiatives highlighted the importance of data management, ethics, and academic integrity in developing university services and learning practices.

For ITK, discussions on technology, sustainability, and collaboration are relevant to its role in supporting development in Kalimantan and the Nusantara Capital City region. The participation of lecturers from Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Naval Architecture offered opportunities to consider the forum’s ideas from different disciplinary perspectives.

The exchange of knowledge at KPPTI 2026 is expected to inform improvements in education, research, and community service at ITK. By connecting technological advances with regional needs, universities can strengthen their contribution to developing skilled professionals and delivering innovations that benefit communities.