Yogyakarta, June 26, 2025 – The Vocational College of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM) hosted the External Monitoring and Evaluation (Monev) of the 2025 Berdikari Partnership Catalyst Grant, a program supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) through the Science and Technology Cluster (Saintek), in collaboration with the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP). The event took place on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Room 201 of the TILC Building, SV UGM, bringing together key stakeholders engaged in this partnership-based research initiative.
The event opened with welcoming remarks from Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ir. Agus Maryono, IPM., ASEAN Eng., Dean of Sekolah Vokasi UGM, who expressed his gratitude for the achievement of two SV UGM research teams that successfully secured this national grant. He emphasized the importance of research that delivers direct benefits to society. “We are proud that the research being developed does not stop in the laboratory but addresses real community needs. This proves that SV UGM remains committed to producing science- and technology-based solutions that are both practical and sustainable,” said Prof. Agus. He further highlighted that this achievement marks a significant milestone in strengthening research and innovation capacity within vocational education, an area often underestimated in research fields.
Meanwhile, Ir. Suhadi Lili, M.T.I., a reviewer representing the expert panel, noted that reviewers not only serve as evaluators but also act as representatives of an investor’s perspective. He underlined the importance of sustainability in multidisciplinary research. “Research should not end at the development stage. What matters is how the product or innovation can be marketed, scaled up, and managed with the right business model. We must prepare strategies for marketing and sustainability so that the nation’s investment does not go to waste,” he stated. He also stressed the need for a clear marketing management plan for tools still under development.
During the presentation session, Dr. Eng. Agustinus Winarno, S.T., M.Eng., leader of the project Empowering Road Infrastructure with Intelligent Insights, shared the progress of his team’s research, which focuses on empowering communities in road maintenance using digital intelligence. He noted that low public awareness in reporting road damage through official channels was a key driver of the project. “People are more likely to post road damage on social media rather than report it to the authorities. This limits the potential contribution of village communities to infrastructure management,” he explained. By employing spatial and participatory data-based technology, the project aims to encourage greater community involvement in sustainable road infrastructure maintenance. Reviewers provided technical feedback, including the need to enhance accuracy to prevent duplicate detections in the automated reporting system.
At the same session, Dr. Eng. Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno, S.T., M.Eng., leader of the FASTAN Project (Fabrication of Smart-Agri Facilities for Small-Scale Farmers), presented his team’s progress. The project aims to develop small-scale smart farming facilities that can be directly applied by farmers to improve horticultural crop efficiency. Currently, the project is in the monitoring-to-harvest phase, with extended research exploring the potential of high-quality melon seedlings that offer strong market value, short growing periods, and simple maintenance. Reviewers encouraged the team to expand this research to other economically valuable crops such as chili.
As part of the event, Prof. Agus Maryono accompanied Prof. Dr. Eng. Yudi Darma, M.Si., Director of Science and Technology Dissemination and Utilization at Kemendiktisaintek, on a visit to one of the Civil Engineering Department laboratories at SV UGM, which serves as a primary hub for the research projects. The visit aimed to review facilities and support the downstreaming of research outcomes to better align with community needs.
This External Monitoring activity not only served as an evaluation forum but also as a constructive dialogue space among academics, government, and research end-users, including farmers who directly benefit from the program. It is hoped that the 2025 Berdikari Partnership Catalyst Grant will foster a collaborative ecosystem of applied research, oriented toward real solutions and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).