HUMAS USU - Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) enthusiastically welcomed the visit of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs (KemenKop UKM) of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) in organising an Entrepreneur Hub entitled “New Entrepreneurs Created, Artisans Empowered”. This activity took place at USU Auditorium on Monday (15/05/2023).

Entrepreneur Hub is a program (from Kemenkop UKM) to increase the ratio of entrepreneurs to 3.95 percent. The Entrepreneur Hub event is expected to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem among students. They are then expected to become a force for economic development as an agent of change.

The Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia, Drs Teten Masduki, is targeting entrepreneurs from universities who have the ability to compete globally. Medan was chosen as one of the targets of the Entrepreneur Hub because the city was once a national economic powerhouse.

"We are focusing on (building) new entrepreneurs from universities. We know that in the future of global competition, we have to produce entrepreneurs who have the ability to compete. We chose USU because it is a business area. Medan has a long history as being one of the national economic powers," said Drs Teten.

Similarly, the Mayor of Medan, Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution, SE, MM, stated that digitalisation has been realised in millennials from the downstream of marketing. According to him, digitalisation needs to be focused on MSME entrepreneurs, especially regarding access to finance.

“Of course, some aspects starting from downstream marketing, have been digitalised. The homework now is, of course, in Medan, we want to teach it to those involved in MSME, especially small stalls. We will direct them to digitalisation, especially related to finance,” said Bobby.

Vice Rector I for Academic, Student Affairs, and Alumni Affairs of USU, Dr. Edy Ikhsan, SH, MA, explained that this event was the starting or kick-off of the partnership program between KemenKop UKM RI and USU's Research and Innovation Development Agency. Of the 15 universities, USU is one of the participants who passed the ministry's selection to participate in the business matching programme.

“The activity today is the starting or kick-off of the partnership program. In this collaboration, the participants or start-ups from USU, which is one of the universities which passed the ministry's selection (out of 15 participating universities), will be accompanied by a team from the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs through a business matching program,” said the first Vice Rector of USU.

The First Vice Rector is optimistic that USU will produce excellent entrepreneurs who are able to expand the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. He said USU was able to transform into an entrepreneurial university through collaboration with government, industry, and professional institutions.

“Universitas Sumatera Utara, as a university that has transformed into an entrepreneur university, continues to strive to expand network and partnership quality, both with the Government, the industrial world and professional institutions, in order to provide support and facilitate the birth of superior entrepreneurs from campus that will further enlarge the entrepreneurial ecosystem in this country,” he explained

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Humas

Interviewee: - - -

Photographer: Amri Simatupang - Humas