A student team from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has won first place in the Global Social Enterprise Competition 2024. The competition was organized by the Faculty of Business Administration, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Thailand, on Tuesday (May 21).
The team, named Copowerment, consisted of Muhammad Haris Yulianto (Agricultural Engineering 2020), Hanif Nur Wahid (Agricultural Engineering 2021), Eva Yuniar Reza Permana Putri (Biology 2021), Salsabila Khoirunnisa (Politics and Governance 2021), and Mahira Ghina Mumtaza (Geophysics 2022), accompanied by their faculty advisor, Siti Mariyam, from the Department of Agricultural Engineering.
Speaking to reporters on Monday (May 27), Salsabila Khoirunnisa explained that the UGM team developed a social enterprise business idea based on agro-industry products and empowerment by combining the potential of agricultural resources, community empowerment, and the bio-circular-green economy.
They used the case study of the Magelang area, which has high coconut potential but where many people, especially homemakers, are unemployed and unable to meet their family’s needs.
“We created a sociopreneurship innovation to develop coconut potential by empowering women to process it into finished products such as coconut and vegan oil,” she said.
The initiative trains homemakers to process products well and connects them with the private sector and the government.
“The developed products have export potential, so collaboration with the private sector and the government is necessary,” Khoirunnisa added.
The competition stages began with the submission of project proposals focusing on problem-solving, social enterprise impact, practicality, creative ideas, and sustainability. The teams with the best ideas and proposals were selected to advance to the final round.
“Our team made it to the finals and presented our best work in front of judges from Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand,” Khoirunnisa explained.
In the final stage, the UGM team presented their project against competitors from various countries, including three teams from Thailand and one from Cambodia. After a rigorous judging process, the Copowerment team emerged as the first-place winner.
“We took home first place and became the only Indonesian team to win,” Khoirunnisa said.
Reflecting on their achievement, Khoirunnisa expressed that the competition has motivated her and her team to remain enthusiastic and contribute tangibly to societal development and sustainability.
“I hope my team and I can continue to create and give our best for the nation, focusing not only on profit but also on humanism and realizing our best ideas and concepts,” she concluded.
Author: Dita
Editor: Gusti Grehenson