Bandung – July 8, 2025
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) hosted an initial audience with the Regional Development, Research, and Innovation Agency (Bapperida – Badan Perencana Pembangunan, Riset dan Inovasi Daerah) of Bandung City at the Parterre Meeting Room, Bumi Siliwangi Building. The meeting served as an introductory step toward a long-term collaboration in research and innovation between the two institutions.
The discussion focused on joint research initiatives, downstreaming of academic results, and concrete solutions to urban challenges in Bandung. Both UPI and Bapperida expressed commitment to working together in addressing strategic local issues through science-based approaches.
UPI Rector, Prof. Dr. Didi Sukyadi, M.A., emphasized that UPI is open to partnering with Bapperida, recognizing the importance of academic contributions to public policy and city development.
“Bandung is a promising city, but it also faces various challenges. Bapperida, as a research agency, cannot address them alone. Collaborating with universities like UPI is key to finding impactful solutions,” said Prof. Didi.
Anton Sunarwibowo, S.T., M.T., Head of Bapperida, praised the warm reception from UPI and expressed optimism about future collaboration.
“This is a great momentum for us to build a strategic partnership. There are many ideas and programs we can further develop for 2026 and beyond. We hope this synergy will support the realization of the mayor’s vision for Bandung,” said Anton.
He also highlighted the potential of UPI’s strength in education to help shape productive mindsets among residents and to support community development through character-building initiatives.
The two institutions plan to continue the dialogue with more focused discussions in the near future. One of the collaborative agendas includes mapping neighborhood-level (RW) potential and optimizing budget utilization through data-driven innovation pilots.
This initial meeting marks a meaningful start to strengthening collaboration between academia and local government to support sustainable and research-based development in Bandung. (CS)