The Head of the Regional Research and Innovation Agency (BRIDA) of Medan City, Benny Iskandar, S.T., M.T., along with his team, visited Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) to explore potential collaboration in implementing the Tri Dharma of higher education.
The visit was welcomed by Vice Rector III of UMSU, Dr. Rudianto, M.Si, at the VIP Room of the UMSU Campus, Jalan Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan, on Thursday (January 15).
This initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between the local government and higher education institutions in supporting research-based development.
Benny Iskandar stated that the visit marked an initial step toward building a strategic partnership. According to him, UMSU is a leading university in Sumatra and a strategic partner.
“We would like to collaborate with UMSU in several areas. UMSU is not unfamiliar to me; in fact, it was the first campus I visited at the beginning of my term,” he said.
He explained that UMSU was chosen as a partner due to the alignment of vision between the Medan City Government and the Muhammadiyah organization.
“We chose UMSU because the Mayor has partnered with Muhammadiyah from the very beginning, and there is a shared commitment to grow together. UMSU’s progress has been very rapid compared to other universities,” he added.
Furthermore, Benny acknowledged that BRIDA cannot work independently in managing research and innovation, including laboratory management and scientific studies. Therefore, partnerships with universities are considered a strategic necessity.
“We also organize several competitions, such as community service, innovation, and coding competitions,” he explained.
Vice Rector III of UMSU, Dr. Rudianto, M.Si, welcomed the collaboration plan, noting that UMSU has a consistent track record in research, student creativity, and innovation.
“Alhamdulillah, for the past seven years UMSU has been consistently participating in the Student Creativity Program (PKM), winning gold medals every year. Entrepreneurship and innovation have always been present and successful. This is a great potential, and this collaboration is indeed necessary,” he stated.
He emphasized that UMSU’s collaborations are not merely oriented toward material benefits, but rather toward performance improvement and tangible impact for society.
“In our collaborations, we do not seek material gain. The foundation of collaboration is performance. Even small initiatives can be implemented together,” he explained.
He also added that the cooperation could involve various faculties, lecturers, units, and institutions within UMSU, such as the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FIKTI), particularly in technology development and coding.
“Regarding coding, collaboration with FIKTI is also possible. We are pleased and ready to move forward with this partnership,” he concluded.
This exploratory collaboration is expected to be followed up with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and concrete programs that support research, innovation, and human resource development in Medan City.
Also in attendance were the Head of Student Affairs Bureau (Kabimawa) Abdurrahman Zuhdi, S.I.Kom., M.I.Kom; Chair of PUSKIIBI Assoc. Prof. Dewi Andriany, S.E., M.M; Chair of LPPM Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Fitra Zambak, S.T., M.Sc; Head of the Bureau of Information Systems and Technology Yoshida Sary, S.E., S.Kom., M.Kom; as well as representatives from BRIDA.
