UPNVJ Public Relations – Veteran National Development University Jakarta (UPNVJ) held a seminar titled Strengthening SDGs in Research and Community Service to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This event also served as a pre-launch for the 2026 UPNVJ Internal Grant, held in a hybrid format at the 8th Floor of the Merce Building, Limo Campus, Depok, and attended by UPNVJ lecturers (January 15, 2026). This seminar highlighted the obligation of universities to align research with the SDGs according to the Key Performance Indicators (IKU) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, in order to provide a real impact on society.
The seminar was moderated by Dr. Diani Sadia Wati, SH, LL.M., Head of the Center for Strategic Studies and Sustainable Development, UPNVJ. The two main speakers were Pungkas Bahjuri Ali, STP., MS., Ph.D., Deputy for Human Development and Culture, Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, and Dr. Drs. H. Dadang Wihana, M.Si., Head of the Regional Development Planning, Research, and Innovation Agency (BAPPERIDA) of Depok City. They discussed the integration of SDGs in research and community service (PKM), with a focus on multi-stakeholder collaboration and downstreaming of research results.
The Head of the UPNVJ Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Dr. Sri Lestari Wahyuningrum, stated that universities are required to choose two of the three priority SDGs: No Poverty (SDG 1), Quality Education (SDG 4), or Partnership to Achieve the Goals (SDG 17). This is in accordance with the direction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology to increase academic contributions to national development. UPNVJ's Vice Rector for Planning, Finance, and General Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ir. Netti Herawati, M.Si., added that the university's focus is to ensure that research results are not only academic, but can be implemented for the benefit of society, in line with UPNVJ's vision as a development partner.
Bahjuri Ali explained the mainstreaming of the SDGs through digital transformation and SDGs Centers in universities, including local government assistance in Voluntary Local Reviews (VLR). Dadang Wihana highlighted Depok City's achievements, such as increasing the Human Development Index (HDI), reducing extreme poverty to 0.6 percent, and controlling stunting below the national target, through the Hepta Helix approach and governance innovation. The discussion session was interactive, involving both offline and online participants.
The Secretary of LPPM UPNVJ, Dr. Ibnu Malkan Bakhrul Ilmi, M.Sc., stated that the 2026 Internal Grants will prioritize themes aligned with the SDGs, encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, and require proposals to demonstrate potential impact and downstreaming. This event is expected to strengthen collaboration between academics, government, and stakeholders to accelerate the SDGs at the local and global levels.