Yogyakarta, August 30, 2025 — GlucoBuddy Team, representing the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), successfully won 2nd place in the Industrial Case Competition (ICC) Pharmadays X JEE 2025. This competition is part of a series of events organized by Pusat Informasi Obat Gadjah Mada (PIOGAMA) in collaboration with Jaringan Mahasiswa Kesehatan Indonesia (JMKI) Chapter Pharmacy UGM.
The Industrial Case Competition (ICC) serves as a platform for undergraduate pharmacy students to enhance their critical, creative, and solution-oriented thinking in addressing real-world challenges in the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, the competition aims to foster scientific communication skills, particularly in presenting structured and systematic solutions that can be implemented practically in the pharmaceutical industry.
In 2025, ICC Pharmadays X JEE adopted the theme “Innovative Natural Product-Based Health Solutions for Diabetes Patients.” This theme is highly relevant to the growing need for natural, safe, and effective health products, especially in supporting the management of diabetes, whose prevalence continues to rise in Indonesia and worldwide.
The competition consisted of two main stages: a preliminary round involving online proposal submission, and a final round of case presentations held offline at the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM on August 30, 2025. All participants were challenged to design innovative natural product-based solutions that provide added value both scientifically and practically in the pharmaceutical industry.
In this event, the GlucoBuddy Team—comprising Nur Aini Salma Lathifah (Leader), Dzaki Hasan Nasrullah, and Gusti Putu Ayu Widya Pratiwi—presented a proposal entitled “GlucoBalance: An Innovative Gummy Supplement in Nanoemulsion Formulation Based on Cinnamaldehyde and Cocoa Peel Waste Flavonoids for Children with Type 1 Diabetes.” This innovation combines nanoemulsion technology with active natural compounds sourced from cocoa peel waste, offering not only health benefits but also supporting sustainability principles through the utilization of economically valuable waste materials.
The achievement of the GlucoBuddy Team in securing 2nd place demonstrates the active role of UGM pharmacy students in addressing real challenges within the pharmaceutical industry through research-based innovation. This accomplishment also strengthens the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM’s contribution in producing outstanding human resources capable of making significant impacts in improving public health.
Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this achievement contributes to SDG 3, “Good Health and Well-Being,” by providing innovative and safe health solutions for diabetes patients. Furthermore, the use of cocoa peel waste in this research supports SDG 12, “Responsible Consumption and Production,” while also fostering SDG 9, “Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure,” through the development of research-based health products and appropriate technology.
