HumasUPNVJ - The UPN Veterans Jakarta research and community service team chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science, Dr. Ermatita, M.Kom in collaboration with representatives from each faculty (FIK, FISIP, FK, FEB, FH, FIKES and FT) paid a visit to the Indramayu Regent's Hall on Thursday, March 31 2022. The team was accompanied by the Chair and representatives from UPN Veteran Jakarta Institute for Research and Community Service to conduct monitoring and evaluation of research fields for internal grant funding in 2021.
The purpose of this activity is to follow up on the MoU that was agreed with the Regent of Indramayu last year. UPN Veteran Jakarta has requested permission to carry out research and community service in the Indramayu area as a form of UPN Veteran Jakarta's contribution to the region through an agreement formed.
The local government of Indramayu has also opened up itself to develop its area together with UPN Veteran Jakarta, for example with scholarships to study at UPN Veteran Jakarta and the Community Service Program (KKN). LPPM as a university-level institution that has the capacity to take care of the two pillars of the Tri Darma of Research and Service really consolidates the ideas that can be realized from the team formed by the university.
The program initiated this time is called the Local-Based Integrated Smart Village Program which is one of the ten program priorities of the Regent of Indramayu. " We are recommended that there are 10 priorities from the regent's program, one of which is Smart Village . Incidentally UPN agreed. But we want to build a multidisciplinary approach so that we don't only build the infrastructure but also develop the people." Said Ayu Lestari Wahyunigroem, Ph.D., Head of LPPM.
Smart Village is intended to expand opportunities for Indramayu village and its rural communities to become self-reliant communities so that added value is also growing. Through the Smart Village program, efforts will be made to increase traditional and new networks in the form of using digital communication technology, innovation, and better use of knowledge for the benefit of the people of Indramayu.
UPN Veteran Jakarta seems very serious about promoting the Smart Village program as evidenced by the existence of a plan that will be carried out for the next three years which was explained in detail by Ermatita. “Our plan consists of 12 points. 2022 starts with population, data visualization, E - Office , and secretariat. In 2023 there will be an increase in financial skills, village development training, village assistance, and a waste bank. In the last year we are planning M-Kesmas, Sist-fo WEATHER, mapping, until it ends in self-service." Ermatita said.
Responding to this program, the District Head's Expert Staff, Ir. Akhmad Budiarto, MM showed his appreciation and enthusiastically welcomed the ideas put forward by the UPN Veterans Jakarta team. Budi was quite impressed with the seriousness of UPN Veterans Jakarta to develop Indramayu Regency. According to him, there are not many research and service teams from universities who can present their plans in a simple yet detailed manner and contain interesting things. “Rarely have I seen a university that explains it in detail. Good, there is already a timeline and a bottom up approach. However, in the first year, you have to explore what the potential and needs of the village are. I saw that UPN is planning to explore village character. In Indramayu it is 60% agricultural land, 207 KM long beach. So the characters are agriculture and fisheries.” Budi said.
In order to realize this extraordinary program, UPN Veteran Jakarta as a leading team collaborated with several credible partners, including: 1) Japan Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), 2) UNISZA Malaysia, and 3) Jakarta State University (UNJ) ).