ITS Students Bring Indonesia to the Global Stage in International Social Innovation Competition.
Four students from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember have once again brought international recognition to Indonesia after startup TERANGIN secured a place in the Global Top 4 at the prestigious Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge 2026 held at University of San Diego in the United States from May 1–3, 2026.
The achievement positions TERANGIN among the world’s leading young social innovators after competing against dozens of international finalists from across the globe.
The team outperformed 43 participants representing 34 universities from 10 countries, including Australia, South Korea, Rwanda, the Philippines, Ghana, Mexico, Peru and Indonesia.
TERANGIN’s participation received full support from Pertamina through its Pertamuda Seed & Scale 2025 program.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Fowler GSIC Recognized as a Prestigious Global Innovation Platform
The Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge is an international competition initiated by University of San Diego and University of St. Thomas.
The competition encourages university students to create business solutions with measurable social and environmental impact aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event has become one of the world’s leading platforms for young innovators developing sustainability-focused solutions in community empowerment, environmental protection and green technology.
Renewable Energy Innovation Designed for Farmers in Remote Areas
During the competition, TERANGIN presented a renewable energy-based microgrid system designed to support farmers in remote regions.
The technology uses wind turbines and solar panels as its primary energy sources to operate crop pest-control devices. The system is also equipped with an automatic mechanical braking mechanism powered by wind pressure whenever turbine rotations become excessively strong.
The innovation was developed not only to provide environmentally friendly electricity access, but also to improve agricultural productivity in a sustainable way for communities with limited energy infrastructure.
At a time when global attention toward green technology and food security continues to grow, TERANGIN’s solution demonstrates how renewable energy can directly support agriculture and rural development.
Fourth-Semester Students Compete Successfully on the World Stage
The TERANGIN team consists of four fourth-semester ITS students from different academic disciplines.
The members are Muhammad Hanif, Rafi Pradana Panji Irawan, and Rafi Syahputra Lamikan from the Mechanical Engineering Department, along with Diah Ayu Nur Fadilah from the Statistics Department.
Their achievement has drawn attention because all team members are still in the early stages of their university studies, yet managed to compete successfully at the global level in green technology and social innovation.
TERANGIN founder Muhammad Hanif said the international competition became a valuable learning experience for the team.
“The Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge taught us many things. We met potential international clients and experienced global competition on an entirely different level,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rafi Syahputra Lamikan expressed appreciation for the support received throughout the competition.
“Thank you very much to Pertamina for supporting us until we achieved the Global Top 4 position at the prestigious Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge 2026,” he said.
TERANGIN’s success is seen as a strong indication that Indonesian student innovation can compete internationally, particularly in renewable energy, green technology and community empowerment sectors.
The achievement also reflects the growing commitment among Indonesia’s younger generation to develop sustainable solutions that combine technological innovation with real social impact.
As the world accelerates its transition toward clean energy and low-carbon development, innovations like TERANGIN demonstrate that locally developed solutions from Indonesian universities have the potential to become part of broader global transformation efforts.
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