PT Polimikro Berdikari Nusantara (PBN), a startup fostered by Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, won the RIIM Startup Award 2025 at the RIIM Award Ceremony organized by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Education Endowment Fund Management Institution (LPDP) (18/12). The award ceremony was held at the BJ Habibie Building, BRIN, Central Jakarta.

The RIIM Award, officially titled Riset dan Inovasi untuk Indonesia Maju, recognizes research-based startups with strong performance and commercialization potential.

UNS Leadership Highlights Innovation and Research Commercialization

UNS Vice Rector for Academic and Research Affairs, Prof. Dr. Fitria Rahmawati, expressed pride in the achievement of PT Polimikro Berdikari Nusantara. She stated that the award reflects the effectiveness of UNS’s innovation and incubation ecosystem.

“We are very proud of the achievements of one of UNS’s incubated startups through the Sebelas Maret Startup Academy UNS in 2021, namely PT Polimikro Berdikari,” she said. “This RIIM Award proves that UNS has grown into a university with a culture of quality innovation that is feasible to be downstreamed into products accepted by society.”

She added that UNS hopes that more research and innovation products from the university can be commercialized and contribute positively to national economic growth.

RIIM Award 2025 and National Research Ecosystem

Prof. Fitria explained that the RIIM Award demonstrates trust in the quality of national research. The RIIM Award consists of two main schemes: RIIM Competition and RIIM Startup.

One of the RIIM Startup Award recipients in 2025 was Muhammad Nur Ikhsanudin, CEO of PT Polimikro Berdikari Nusantara. The RIIM program has been running since 2022 and, by 2025, has involved hundreds of universities and research institutions across Indonesia.

PT Polimikro Berdikari Nusantara’s Research-Based Battery Materials

PT Polimikro Berdikari Nusantara originated from UNS energy research conducted at the Center of Excellence for Electrical Energy Storage Technology (PUI TPEL UNS). The company joined the Sebelas Maret Startup Academy incubation program in 2021 and later participated in the Pertamina Xscouta acceleration program in 2022.

PBN took part in the BRIN RIIM Startup program during the 2023–2024 period. The company develops lithium-ion battery cathode products based on research by UNS researchers and professionals.

The company was founded by Prof. Dr. Eng. Ir. Agus Purwanto. Muhammad Nur Ikhsanudin serves as CEO, Dian Ahmad as CMO, and Shofirul Sholikhatun Nisa as COO.

Domestic Lithium-Ion Cathode Production to Reduce Imports

The national battery industry continues to face challenges due to dependence on imported strategic materials, which require long ordering times and offer limited after-sales services. PBN provides a solution through domestic production of lithium-ion cathode materials, marking the first such initiative in Indonesia.

The company’s main products include Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) and Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC). The NMC products include NMC811, NMC622, NMC111, NMC442, and NMC532.

All products are patented, trademarked, and certified with Domestic Component Level (TKDN). Local production allows faster and safer delivery, while the company’s operational office in Solo supports direct communication with customers.

“For small-scale products, PBN operates online stores on platforms such as Tokopedia and Shopee under the name Polimikro Official,” Prof. Fitria said.

PHOTO: UNS

This article was created with AI assistance.