PALEMBANG, Jul 8 – The Faculty of Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), continues to strengthen its international engagement through academic collaboration and community empowerment initiatives with Universitas Sriwijaya (UNSRI), Indonesia. Held from 7 to 8 July 2026, the programme combined an academic sharing session with the EQUITY International Community Development Programme, reflecting the shared commitment of both institutions to advancing knowledge, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development.

The programme began on 7 July 2026 with an academic sharing session at the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Sriwijaya, Palembang. The session brought together academic staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students for a knowledge-sharing session on Sustainable Operations and Quality Management.

The keynote session was delivered by Dean of the Faculty of Management, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Jusoh, who discussed the strategic role of operations management in creating sustainable and competitive organisations.

The session highlighted how operational excellence, quality management, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles can be integrated to address contemporary business challenges. The forum also provided an opportunity for meaningful academic exchange between UTM and UNSRI, with active discussions on current trends, curriculum enhancement, and future collaboration in management education and research.

On 8 July 2026, the programme continued at Pondok Tahfidz Syafian Hafiyya in Ogan Ilir Regency under the theme “Enhancing Studentpreneurship Capacity among Young Generation in Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatera.” The community programme was attended by the Chairman of the Syafian Hafiyya Islamic Foundation, Ery Erman, S.K.M., M.A., students, and members of the local community.

In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Muhammad Ichsan Hadjri, Head of the EQUITY Community Development Programme at Universitas Sriwijaya, emphasised the importance of nurturing entrepreneurial values from an early age. He highlighted that entrepreneurship education should cultivate creativity, innovation, opportunity recognition, problem-solving skills, and a mindset that empowers young people to become job creators who contribute positively to society and regional economic development.

During the programme, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Jusoh delivered an interactive session introducing the concept of Studentpreneurship—an approach that encourages students to transform real-world problems into innovative and sustainable business solutions. Rather than asking, “What product should I sell?”, participants were encouraged to begin with a more meaningful question: “What problem can I solve?”

Using the Studentpreneur Formula, participants explored the entrepreneurial journey from identifying community needs and developing innovative solutions to creating value, generating social impact and building sustainable business models. The session emphasised that successful entrepreneurship is driven not only by financial returns but also by the ability to create meaningful value for society.

To inspire participants, Prof. Ahmad shared the entrepreneurial journeys of successful founders, including Achmad Zaky (Bukalapak), Vivy Yusof (FashionValet) and Arif Tukiman (RunCloud), demonstrating how innovation, perseverance and value creation can transform ideas into impactful businesses.

Beyond a single engagement, the EQUITY Programme represents a long-term collaboration between Universitas Sriwijaya and UTM. Both institutions have expressed their commitment to expanding future initiatives through academic exchanges, entrepreneurship mentoring, knowledge-sharing activities, collaborative research and community development programmes that will continue to benefit students and local communities.

The programme also supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) through capacity building, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by promoting entrepreneurship and innovation and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through strategic international collaboration between UTM and UNSRI.