Institutional development · Public engagement and economic impact · Indonesia
IPB University opens MIRAI Mart to sell faculty and startup innovations to the public in Bogor
Indonesia's IPB University has opened a store at its Taman Kencana Campus where visitors can buy products developed by faculty, mentored startups and local small businesses.
Why it matters: Faculty members, IPB-mentored startups and Bogor-area small businesses now have a campus outlet where the public can buy their products directly.
IPB University said it launched MIRAI Mart (Marketplace for Innovation, Research, and Applied Ideas) at its Taman Kencana Campus in Bogor on Thursday 22 October.
According to the university, the store sells products created by faculty members, startups mentored by IPB University, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from Bogor and villages around the campus, which visitors can buy and use straight away.
Rector Dr Alim Setiawan Slamet said the store grew out of strong visitor interest in IPB's innovative products, which had not been matched by easy access to them.
The university said the name Mirai is Japanese for future and reflects its hope that campus innovations become useful, impactful products with commercial value.
Editor’s view
Abigail Taylor, Leadership and Governance Editor
IPB faculty, its mentored startups and nearby MSMEs gain a physical point of sale on campus; if visitor demand matches what the rector described, the store becomes a direct route from university research to paying customers.
