Diponegoro University (UNDIP), through the Office of Downstreaming and Business Incubation (KHIB) and the Directorate of Innovation and Cooperation, has officially established a synergy with the Ministry of MSMEs of the Republic of Indonesia. This collaboration was realized in a strategic forum titled "Transformative Entrepreneurship Strategies Towards MSMEs Scaling Up" held at DIPO HUB, UNDIP Tembalang campus, in early July 2024.
Director of Innovation and Cooperation at UNDIP, Dian Harjanti, emphasized that the university possesses immense research potential from both lecturers and students. By strengthening the incubation ecosystem, it is hoped that these research results will not just remain scientific papers, but transform into startups and high economic value products that directly benefit the people of Central Java and the nation.
Deputy for Micro Enterprises at the Ministry of MSMEs, Riza Damanik, highlighted the important role of 754 incubator institutions spread across Indonesia as the front guard in producing resilient entrepreneurs. The Ministry of MSMEs itself is preparing national standards for running incubation programs and an integrated information system through the SAPA UMKM platform to ensure that the tenant mentoring process, from selection to access to financing, runs professionally and sustainably.
In line with this spirit, Acting Head of the Central Java Provincial Cooperatives and MSMEs Office, Desy Arijani, stressed that empowering the people's economy must be done collaboratively. Cross-sector synergy involving the government, higher education institutions, the business world, and communities is seen as crucial to addressing aspects of marketing, legality, and the digitalization of small business actors.
The forum was attended by 40 representatives of business incubators from across Central Java, including incubator units from various universities and regional innovation centers. Through this concrete step, UNDIP reinforces its commitment as an innovation catalyst oriented toward national economic progress and community empowerment through research-based entrepreneurship with global competitiveness.
