Surabaya City Government through the Board of Regional Planning and Research
Development (Bappedalitbang) is once again holding the 2024 Surabaya Innovation
Competition (Inovboyo).
The Head of the Board of Regional Planning and Research Development, Irvan
Wahyudrajad, said that this competition aimed to encourage all levels of society as well
as Local Government Department (Perangkat Daerah) in Surabaya to contribute their
ideas of innovations for the advancement of the city. Bappedalitbang initiates this
competition at the first place and organizes it every year to create an atmosphere
encouraging people in Surabaya to think in creative ways and in the long term it is
expected that innovation could be a culture for the city and a shared character of the
society. Therefore, innovation is going to be an integral part of the city’s development and
eventually, Surabaya will escalate as a barometer of innovation in Indonesia.
Therefore, Irvan gave the message and invited the entire community and local
government working units to actively participate in this innovation battle since it could
create an exceptional impact for Surabaya as well as for Indonesia. "Innovation is not
only about a new application, innovation can be concrete solutions to problems that are
now arising in society. Innovation can be a product, a service, a business model or
strategy that allows the city’s issues to be solved better and faster. It doesn't have to be
an application because there are too many applications already," said Irvan, on Saturday
(20/1/2023).
The 2024 Inovboyo competition consists of three categories. The first is technological
innovation based on websites, mobile apps, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial
Intelligence (AI), and Virtual Reality (VR). Second, innovation and invention in the
economic sector. While the third category is non-economic technological innovation and
invention.
Irvan further elaborated that there were some criteria for the innovations that could be
registered for the 2024 Inovboyo competition. Primarily, the innovations have to introduce
novelties in all or some elements. Apart from that, the innovations have to provide benefits
to the city and society. Additionally, the innovations must not lead to inappropriate
impositions or restrictions in the society as well as law violations.
"The innovations also have to be relevant to the present concerns of Surabaya City
Government and must be replicable," explained Irvan.
He continued that the Mayor of Surabaya, Eri Cahyadi, wanted the new innovations could
relate and be applied to the recent prioritized programs of the City Government,
specifically, environmental management, public street lighting system, education, flood
management and digitalization.
Regarding the procedure of the 2024 Inovboyo competition, once the innovations are
submitted, they will be selected by a team of judges from academics from Universities,
the East Java Provincial Government, and the Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs.
Afterwards, 6 (six) winners of the best innovations will be selected and will receive
coaching money, trophies and certificates from the Surabaya City Mayor.
For Surabaya populaces who would like to participate in contributing their innovations for
the City’s development, please kindly register via the website merdeka.surabaya.go.id
starting from January, 2024. Inovboyo previously broke the national record as the most
participants in innovation competitions and therefore, was listed in the Museum of
Indonesian Records (MURI) in 2022.
"Bappedalitbang encourages and accommodates all innovations, both external and
internal," Irvan concluded.