The Banten Provincial Government continues to encourage academic circles, especially students, to create new technological innovations to strengthen the nation's competitiveness on the global stage. This was emphasized by the Vice Governor of Banten, Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah, while attending the opening of the Banten Tech Festival 2026 Paguyuban Pasundan at Tangerang Raya University (Untara), Tigaraksa, Tangerang Regency, Friday (24/7/2026).
Carrying the theme "Explore Innovation, Showcase Technology and Compete for the Future", this festival serves as an exhibition venue for cutting-edge technology products, local MSME products, and a space for interactive discussions. Dimyati emphasized that mastering information technology is the main key so that Indonesia does not fall behind developed countries that are increasingly adopting digital systems on a massive scale.
On that occasion, the Vice Governor took the time to directly inspect various innovative works by students. Some of the technologies on display included Untirta's IoT Spy monitoring sensor, the Hydrify smart watering system and GovTech DataOps by the Indonesian Insan Pembangunan University, to a soil moisture monitoring device created by Untara information technology students.
According to Dimyati, the future global competition landscape will no longer just bring human resources (HR) together, but will be a clash of system sophistication such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Technological adaptation has proven capable of penetrating various vital sectors, including modern agriculture which has now successfully produced superior seedless fruit varieties.
Echoing the Vice Governor's sentiments, Tangerang Regent Maesyal Rasyid welcomed this academic collaboration. He assessed that the contribution of students is crucial in supporting regional development programs. Technology, according to Maesyal, must be brought closer to daily life to significantly boost public productivity and welfare.
Meanwhile, Untara Rector Mardiyana expressed full commitment to continuing to produce outstanding graduates ready to be absorbed by local industries. Considering that Tangerang Regency is a rapidly growing industrial area, the presence of skilled and tech-savvy local human resources is an important asset to drive the regional economic wheels.
