Indonesian Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, Visits UNUSA to Promote Environmentally Friendly Technology Innovation for a Sustainable Creative Economy

The Minister of Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Teuku Riefky Harsya, paid a working visit to Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Surabaya (UNUSA) to attend the "Creative Economy Product Technology and Innovation Audience." This visit affirmed the government's commitment to encouraging the development of environmentally friendly technologies based on research and innovation from University, especially to support a sustainable creative economy sector. During the visit, which took place on Monday, August 4, 2025, the Minister of Creative Economy directly reviewed two of UNUSA's flagship products that are manifestations of innovation and research collaboration, namely "UNUSA-Incinerator" as an environmentally friendly, smokeless waste incinerator technology, and "UNUSA-Water", a water filtration system that can process water from various sources to make it suitable for consumption through filtration, adsorption, and UV light disinfection technology. These two innovations were appreciated as concrete solutions to the needs of Pesantren communities in managing waste and accessing clean water easily and efficiently.

The program is fully supported by PT Pelindo Terminal Petikemas through the "One Month One Pesantren (OMOP)" initiative. This program is gradually targeting Pesantren in remote areas with the target of one Pesantren per month receiving Mobile UNUSA-Incinerator and UNUSA-Water facilities. The advantage of this Incinerator, in addition to being able to burn up to 40 kg of wet waste in 60 minutes without pollution, also produces residue that can be processed into organic fertilizer, thus creating a sustainable cycle. Meanwhile, the water filtration system provides access to clean water and education on efficient water use for students. In his remarks, Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya emphasized the importance of collaboration between educational institutions, the business world, government, communities, and financial institutions to accelerate the development of the creative economy. According to him, the results of innovations such as the incinerator and water purifier are a concrete form of synergy between culture, science, technology, and digitalization, which are expected to have a broad impact, help map community needs, and clarify the impact of the creative economy on sustainable development in remote areas of the country.

UNUSA Rector, Achmad Jazidie, and UNUSA LPPM Chair, Achmad Syafiuddin, expressed their hope for sustainable, concrete synergy through applied research in the field of environmental technology, in line with the campus's community service vision. The audience was also attended by the Vice Rector, Dean, and representatives from PT Pelindo Terminal Petikemas and Pesantren figures as part of the national creative economy development ecosystem based on local wisdom and technological innovation. Through this program, UNUSA and its strategic partners are further expanding their service network to various remote areas of the archipelago, helping Pesantren manage waste and clean water, not only as a technical solution, but also as an effort to create a young generation of students who are intelligent, healthy, and environmentally conscious.