Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) won a total of 14 awards at the 2025 Diktisaintek Awards, held at Graha Diktisaintek, Jakarta, on Friday (Dec. 19). The awards organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemendiktisaintek RI) serve as a platform to recognize individuals and higher education institutions that contribute to advancing and inspiring the nation.
At this year’s Diktisaintek Awards, UGM received three awards in the Higher Education Institution category: recognition as the State University with the highest degree-seeking student mobility performance, Best Implementer of the Establishment and Strengthening of Disability Service Units (ULD) in 2024, and the Impactful Lecturer Award, received by UGM Faculty of Pharmacy lecturer Dr. Eka Noviana.
In the Research and Development category, UGM secured three awards: Bronze Winner for the subcategory of Institution with the Best SINTA Score for the 2022–2024 period; Bronze Winner for Simple Patents Adopted by Communities, awarded to Faculty of Agricultural Technology lecturer Dr. Sri Rahayoe; and Gold Winner for Patent Productivity or Lecturer Owning Research Product Patents with High-Value Royalties, received by Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences lecturer Professor Kuwat Triyana.
In the Science and Technology category, UGM also won three awards: Gold Winner for the subcategory of Most Productive State University in STEM; Silver Winner for Best Senior Scientist in STEM, awarded to Faculty of Dentistry lecturer Professor Ika Dewi Ana, and Gold Winner for Best Young Scientist in STEM, which was awarded to Faculty of Economics and Business lecturer Dr. Fitri Amalia.
Furthermore, in the Protocol category, UGM received the Gold Winner award in the Protocol Management subcategory. In the Public Relations category, UGM earned three awards: Gold Winner for Best Social Media, Bronze Winner for Press Release, and Bronze Winner for the Public Relations Practitioner subcategory, awarded to Public Relations Coordinator Hestining Kurniastuti. Lastly, in the Cooperation category, UGM received the Silver Winner award as the Higher Education Institution with the Best Government/Non-Governmental Organisation Cooperation.
UGM Secretary Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu expressed his gratitude for UGM’s achievement of winning 14 awards. According to him, this accomplishment is inseparable from strong collaboration among UGM units.
“I believe this achievement is the result of innovation, creativity, and synergy across units that have made significant contributions to carrying out the tridharma of higher education,” he said on Sunday (Dec. 21).
A similar view was shared by UGM Director of Research Professor Mirwan Ushada. For Mirwan, the awards received by UGM researchers are the outcome of synergy that prioritises collective intelligence among lecturers, students, staff, laboratory personnel, institutions, and the Directorate of Research.
“Everyone contributes to ensuring that research has impact, from knowledge production and downstream benefits for society to partnerships with industry in supporting economic growth,” Mirwan stated.
Regarding UGM’s efforts to nurture young researchers, Mirwan explained that the Directorate of Research performs three main functions: acting as a grant management to facilitate funding and incentives; serving as an enabler for cross-disciplinary researcher capacity development; and coordinating research institutions, infrastructure, and support systems for the research and innovation ecosystem.
Chair of UGM’s Disability Service Unit (ULD), Dr. Wuri Handayani, admitted she did not expect UGM to receive government recognition as the Best Implementer of the Establishment and Strengthening of Disability Service Units.
According to her, the award further motivates ULD to provide the best protection and services for the academic community.
“I am deeply grateful that the university’s commitment to becoming more inclusive has been appreciated by Diktisaintek,” she said.
Dr. Handayani hopes that in the future, Kemendiktisaintek RI will encourage additional awards with more comprehensive, inclusive campus indicators, such as the number of students and staff with disabilities, levels of accessibility, and the presence of written campus policies that promote inclusivity at respective institutions.
In a press release issued by Kemendiktisaintek, the Ministry’s Secretary-General, Professor Togar Mangihut Simatupang, reported that this year’s awards marked the fifth edition of the Diktisaintek Awards, serving as recognition for higher education institutions and individuals for their performance in supporting ministerial policies.
In total, 547 awards across 15 subcategories were presented to recipients from state and private universities, Higher Education Service Institutions (LLDIKTI), business and industry partners, ministries/agencies, and journalists and media organisations.
Looking ahead, Kemendiktisaintek is committed to continuously strengthening higher education governance and policies. Simatupang noted that the ministry has issued a Ministerial Regulation on the Strategic Plan and will launch key performance indicators to serve as references for higher education development.
“These efforts are expected to strengthen the quality of programme and policy implementation overall and enhance accountable performance as a contribution of stakeholders,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, Professor Brian Yuliarto, emphasised that these awards are not the final destination, but rather a sign of growing government trust in higher education institutions.
He added that higher education must remain closely connected to societal realities. National transformation, he noted, can only be realised when knowledge is present, and the community feels its benefits.
“I see firsthand that all of you are at the forefront of advancing higher education,” he remarked.
Author: Hanifah
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: Public Relations Office of Kemendiktisaintek RI