Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has successfully secured grants for three research teams under the Community and Academic Synergy for Nusantara Science and Technology (Semesta) Program initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. The program serves as a platform to bring university research closer to the community through four schemes: In Saintek, Tera Saintek, Resona Saintek, and Panen Raya Berdikari.
At the contract signing ceremony for Semesta awardees held at Graha Diktisaintek on Friday (Sep. 12), Director General of Science and Technology Ahmad Najib Burhani emphasized that the program aims to ground research outcomes so they can be widely beneficial to society.
“Today’s contract signing is not merely a formality, but a symbolic beginning of our joint journey to ensure that science is present, understood, and provides tangible benefits for the wider community,” he said.
One of UGM’s successful teams is the Riset Kuat, Pangan Hebat (Strong Research for Food Security) Team through the Resona Saintek scheme.
The initiative focuses on public literacy on food security, introducing innovations such as the superior rice variety Gamagora, premium rice Presokazi, the soil enhancer Potassium Humate, and social research on farmer welfare and the use of porang as an alternative food source.
The campaign is carried out through harvest festivals, community discussions, food dialogues, and educational publications across multiple platforms. Team leader Hestining Kurniastuti highlighted that public communication is key to any research dissemination effort.
“Communication is more than delivering a message; it is about weaving trust,” she said.
Another UGM team from the Vocational College (SV UGM) developed ROADSTER (Road Assessment Supporting System), supported under the Tera Saintek scheme.
ROADSTER is a platform based on artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to detect road damage and map waste distribution quickly, accurately, and participatively.
The program is led by Dr. Agustinus Winarno, along with a multidisciplinary team from SV UGM, engaging communities, local governments, and industry in a co-creation model.
“Through ROADSTER, we aim to deliver practical solutions for data-driven infrastructure management, support sustainable tourism villages, and enhance both technological literacy and community participation,” explained Dr. Winarno.
In addition, UGM also advanced with the INOVOKASIA program under the Panen Raya Berdikari scheme.
The initiative is expected to strengthen the vocational ecosystem, accelerate research downstreaming, expand partner networks, and create real employment opportunities, while supporting the vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.
Led by Muhammad Sidiq Wicaksono, the program emphasizes cross-sector collaboration to expand benefits for the community.
“INOVOKASIA 2025 seeks to build a stronger, more adaptive, and future-relevant vocational ecosystem,” said Wicaksono.
The success of these three UGM research teams in the 2025 Semesta Program highlights the university’s role as a hub of innovation that addresses national challenges.
Through research in food, technology, and vocational education, UGM reaffirms its commitment not only to generating new knowledge but also to transforming it into real solutions for society.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photograph: Hestining Kurniastuti