Public Relations of UPNVJ – The Director General of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Najib Burhani, MA, encouraged the Forum of Chairs of Research and Community Service Institutions of the West Region State University Cooperation Agency (FK LPPM BKS PTN Barat) to form a national scientific journal management consortium. This encouragement was conveyed at the 2026 West BKS PTN Journal Management Conference at the University of Lampung Rectorate Building, Friday (10/7/2026).
The conference themed “Strengthening National Journal Governance Towards International Indexing and Scientific Publication Collaboration of BKS PTN Barat” was organized by FK LPPM BKS PTN Barat with the National Development University “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ) as co-host and the University of Lampung as host.
In a presentation titled "National Scientific Journal Systems, Governance, and Policies," Ahmad Najib explained the government's policy direction for strengthening Indonesia's scientific publication ecosystem. He emphasized the need for professional journal governance, improved publication quality, and collaboration between universities, the government, and international partners.
Ahmad Najib also expressed his appreciation for the first-ever special conference for journal managers held by the Faculty of Medicine, Research, and Community Service (LPPM) of West Nusa Tenggara State Universities (PTN Barat). He believes the forum has the potential to develop into a scientific journal consortium that could become a strategic partner for the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in developing the national publication ecosystem.
The conference also featured Ikhwan Arief, ST, M.Sc., Head of the Center for Journal Development and Seminars at the Andalas University Research and Development Institute (LPPM) and Managing Editor of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). He emphasized that university journals should not only focus on indexing, but also on building credibility and trust in the scientific community.
"A low score is not a failure, but rather information for improvement. Conversely, a high score without supporting evidence is not progress, but a risk," said Ikhwan. He believes international recognition requires evidence-based evaluation, consistent editorial management, readability of journal pages, and institutional support.
Dr. Sri Lestari Wahyuningroem, Chair of the Faculty of Medicine, Research and Community Service (LPPM) at West Nusa Tenggara State University (PTN Barat), who is also the Chair of the LPPM at UPNVJ, stated that the formation of the consortium must be accompanied by clear targets, work programs, and a sustainability system. "Sustainability is key to ensuring the consortium's ability to have a real impact on the development of scientific journals in Indonesia," she said.
As a first step, the forum will map and compile a database of journals from 39 state universities, members of the West Nusa Tenggara State University Journalism Association (BKS PTN Barat). This data will serve as the foundation for strengthening collaboration between journals and exploring international collaborations in the form of editor capacity building, journal management assistance, open access publications, and expanding research networks.
Through its role as co-host, UPNVJ affirmed its commitment to supporting professional and collaborative journal governance. This conference is expected to serve as a momentum to improve the quality, competitiveness, and recognition of Indonesian scientific journals internationally.