UMS Sweeps 9 Gold Medals and 1 Silver at WYIE 2026

Students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) have once again made their mark on the international stage through the World Young Inventor and Innovation Exhibition (WYIE) 2026, held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Malaysia, from May 18 to 20, 2026.

In the competition, UMS sent 10 student teams and brought home 9 gold medals and 1 silver medal. On top of that, one team also received a special award from Saudi Arabia. Another standout achievement came from the Brainlyt team, made up of students from across faculties including the Faculty of Health Sciences (FIK), Faculty of Communication and Informatics (FKI), Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP), and Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), who won the Top 2 Best Asian Young Inventor award.

The achievement is proof that UMS student innovation and research can compete at the global level.

UMS Vice Rector I, Prof. Ihwan Susila, Ph.D., viewed the results as evidence of the growing quality of UMS students in both national and international competitions. He also expressed hope that the achievement would inspire other students to boldly develop their competencies at the global level.

"This will certainly also be an inspiration for other students who want to gain international experience while sharpening their competencies at the global level," he said on Thursday (21/5/2026).

According to him, the success is inseparable from the selection and development process carried out by the UMS Directorate of Student Affairs and Innovation Talent Development (DKPTI). Every team sent to an international competition must go through a rigorous internal presentation and assessment process.

"Not all students who apply for international competitions make it through, because our target is clear: when we send UMS student delegates to the international level, we must bring home a gold medal," he explained.

Ihwan also noted that the development procedures carried out by DKPTI have built an increasingly strong achievement ecosystem within UMS. Going forward, UMS is targeting student participation not only at the Asian level but also at competitions with a broader global reach.

"Going forward, it is not only at the Asian level. We also want to be able to send our students to an even wider stage, so that they truly have experience at the world level," he said.

UMS is also continuing to push for the downstream application of student innovations so they can be implemented in real settings within communities and industries. According to Ihwan, most of the works entered in competitions are still at the prototype stage and require further development.

"Usually these competitions are more prototype-based, so further innovation is needed to ensure that the invention can be absorbed by the market," he said.

He added that UMS is currently developing a business incubator and innovation talent program to support the implementation of student works after they return from international events.

"We are also currently promoting a business incubator and innovation talent program, so that when they return from international events, the implementation can be further developed, or at the very least, how it will be absorbed by the industrial world," he stressed.

Head of the Talent, Innovation, and Achievement Sub-Directorate at UMS DKPTI, Muhammad Al Fatih Hendrawan, S.T., M.T., said the achievements of UMS students demonstrate the quality of innovation that has now received international recognition.

"With these international achievements of 9 gold medals, 1 silver, 1 special award, and the Top 2 Best Asian Young Innovation award, it increasingly shows that UMS student innovation is on par with and recognized at the international level," he added.

He further explained that the achievements do not stop at the competition stage, but will be followed up with innovation development so that the results can deliver real benefits to society.

"As a follow-up, the downstream application of several of these student innovations will be carried out, so that they can be felt and have an impact on the community," he concluded.

Writer: Maysali Sudarwati

Editor: Fika Annisa’ Sholihah

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid