IGNITE 2026
About Us
IGNITE (Industrial Global Network for Innovation and Technology) is an international program by the Industrial
Engineering Department of Universitas Gadjah Mada, serving as a platform for student innovation and
collaboration in addressing global industrial challenges. IGNITE brings together two flagship competitions:
the Product Design and Ergonomics Competition (PDEC, formerly CHRONICS) and the White Paper Competition (WPC,
formerly INSPECTRA). This program fosters the development of critical thinking, creativity, and
problem-solving skills through competitions that are directly relevant to the needs of today's industry.
Through IGNITE, students are given the opportunity to showcase their potential and expand their networks at
the international level.
Our History
IGNITE 2026 is born from the rich legacy of two long-standing competitions that have shaped the industrial
engineering landscape in Southeast Asia. PDEC carries forward the spirit of CHRONICS, a product design and
ergonomics competition that has been held for over sixteen consecutive years, producing generations of
innovative designers and engineers who have gone on to contribute meaningfully to industry and society.
WPC continues the legacy of INSPECTRA, which has long served as a premier platform for academic discourse
and research-driven problem solving in the industrial sector. Now united under one roof, both competitions
bring together decades of experience, a vast network of alumni, and deep-rooted partnerships across the
region. IGNITE is the next chapter, a bold evolution that honors this legacy while expanding its reach,
impact, and ambition to a new level.
Our Theme
“Sustainable & Modern Crop-Based Agriculture.”
This theme highlights the importance of developing agriculture that is not only productive, but also sustainable, adaptive, and innovation-driven. Agriculture plays a vital role in fulfilling food needs, yet crop-based agriculture still faces major challenges, such as climate change, land degradation, limited water resources, underutilized agricultural waste, and farming activities that often overlook ergonomic aspects.