IGF Selected for the PRIME STeP Startup Grant 2026, Takes Its Next Step Toward Clinical Genomics
Yogyakarta, September 2026 — Integrated Genome Factory (IGF) has been selected as an awardee of the PRIME STeP Startup Grant 2026 and is now in Year 1 of the program’s pre-acceleration stage. As an awardee, IGF has committed to expanding into the clinical sector, bringing genome sequencing done entirely in Indonesia closer to the country’s hospitals, clinicians, and clinical researchers.
About the Grant
PRIME STeP (Promoting Research and Innovation through Modern and Efficient Science and Technology Parks) is a national program of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek). It strengthens science and technology parks at four Indonesian universities, including Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM).
At UGM, the Startup Grant is managed by the Directorate of Business Development through Innovative Academy, the university’s startup incubator, which also incubates IGF. Alongside funding, the program gives awardees mentoring and access to a wider network of partners.
Why the Clinical Sector
Since opening at the UGM Faculty of Biology in September 2024, IGF has supported Indonesian researchers with long-read sequencing, now on both Oxford Nanopore PromethION and PacBio Revio, while keeping samples and data in the country.
The clinical sector is the logical next step. Long reads can resolve complex regions of the genome that short reads often miss, such as large structural variants and highly variable drug-response genes. That makes them especially valuable for health questions that matter to Indonesia: rare and undiagnosed diseases, how patients respond to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, and cancer. Answering those questions well calls for genomic data from Indonesian populations, generated and kept in Indonesia.
In this first year, IGF will focus on two things: building partnerships with hospitals and clinical research units, and developing research-based genomic services around their needs. These range from rare disease and pharmacogenomics to antimicrobial resistance and precision oncology. All of this work will be carried out as research collaborations with ethics approval.
Early Steps
IGF has already started laying the groundwork. In May, IGF and the Clinical Research Unit (CRU) of Rumah Sakit Akademik (RSA) UGM, the university’s academic hospital, announced they were exploring a strategic partnership for research-based testing using next-generation sequencing (NGS).
In August, as part of its grant commitment, IGF sponsored the “Cancer Metabolism & Microbiome” seminar organized by PKR PrOmics, a precision oncology research collaboration led by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) with UGM, Universitas Indonesia, and Dharmais Cancer Hospital. At its interactive booth, the IGF team met clinicians and researchers who are bringing omics-based approaches into cancer research.
These steps contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Looking Ahead
IGF will keep sharing its progress through this newsletter as the program unfolds. We warmly invite hospitals, clinicians, and clinical researchers who would like to explore genomic research with IGF to get in touch.
Questions or interested in collaborating? Reach out to us:
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WhatsApp: +62 812-7777-3870
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Contact form: igf-sequencing.com/contact_us
About IGF
Integrated Genome Factory (IGF) is a DNA and RNA sequencing company based at the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Operated by PT Integra Biotek Indonesia under a business cooperation agreement with the Faculty, IGF runs Oxford Nanopore PromethION and PacBio Revio platforms and analyzes data in-house, so samples and data never leave the country. From Sample to Insight—Sequenced and Analyzed in Indonesia.
Author
Aditya Aryandi Setiawibawa
Chief Executive Officer
Learning together with Integrated Genome Factory.
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