Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) has been appointed as the host of the International Conference on Next-Generation Digital Technologies 2026, scheduled to take place from Friday to Monday, September 12–14, 2026.
In preparation for the international event, UMSU signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for academic cooperation with several universities from Indonesia and Malaysia on Thursday (April 30) at the university’s meeting hall on Jalan Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan.
The conference is being organized in collaboration with Faizuddin Center of Educational Excellence, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia, and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.
During the event, Executive of the Faizuddin Center, Kamarudin Hussin, stated that the conference would also be attended by the Raja Muda of Perlis. He emphasized that the collaboration would not stop at conference proceedings publications alone, but would also focus on improving the quality of international scientific publications.
“Not only proceedings, but we aim to expand toward Scopus-indexed publications and digital platforms,” said Kamarudin.
He also congratulated the new leadership of UMSU and highlighted the importance of strengthening global networking among universities.
“Congratulations to Prof. Akrim on becoming the new Rector of UMSU. This is a mandate entrusted by Muhammadiyah. God willing, our relationship and networking will continue to grow, allowing us to carry out collaborative activities in the future,” he stated.
Meanwhile, UMSU Rector Akrim expressed gratitude for the trust given to UMSU as the host of an international-scale conference.
“Alhamdulillah, we are honored to be entrusted as the host. Our shared mission is to contribute to the advancement of education and intellectual development,” he said in his remarks.
He further emphasized that the conference represents part of UMSU’s strategic vision to become a world-class digital university.
“At this stage, UMSU aspires to become an outstanding and globally recognized digital campus,” he added.
The Rector also expressed appreciation for the presence of international delegates and hoped that academic cooperation would continue in the future.
“Thank you, Dato’. God willing, we will continue strengthening our friendship and collaboration in the near future,” he said.
The event also included the signing of cooperation agreements between UMSU and its partner institutions as a commitment to advancing research, scientific publications, and international academic collaboration.
The international conference is expected to become a strategic milestone for UMSU in expanding its global network while enhancing its academic reputation on the international stage.
Also attending the event were Vice Rector I Muhammad Arifin, Dean of FIKTI Al-Khowarizmi, bureau heads across UMSU, Rector of Universitas Deztron Indonesia Marniati, Rector of Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia Mutiawati, Faizuddin Centre reference expert Noridah Yangman, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of Visual Informatics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, senior lecturer of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Rabiah Abdul Kadir, senior lecturer of Universiti Malaysia Perlis Hasyiya Karimah Adli, and Bibi Noraini Mohd Yusof
