UNS – The Faculty of Engineering (FT) of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta plans to establish an Integrated Multidisciplinary Laboratory as part of the 2024–2029 Strategic Plan (Renstra). This was announced by the Chair of the Academic Senate of the Faculty (SAF) FT UNS, Prof. Dr. Ir. Zainal Arifin, M.T., and the Dean of FT UNS, Dr. Techn. Ir. Sholihin As’ad, M.T., during the Infrastructure Building Financing Discussion Forum for FT Laboratories in collaboration with the Government and Business Entity Cooperation (Kerja Sama Pemerintah dan Badan Usaha, or KPBU).

The event, held at the Ballroom of UNS Tower Ki Hadjar Dewantara on Tuesday (21/11/2023), featured Dr. Eng. Halwan Alfisa Saifullah, M.T., the Chair of the FT Proposal Team, and Ir. Rachmat Indratjahaja, S.E., M.M., CRMP, an alumnus of Civil Engineering at UNS from the class of ’82 and the Director of Business Development at PT. Prodeva Dubels Synergy. The moderator for the event was the Acting Vice Dean of Human Resources, Finance, and Logistics at FT, Prof. Dr. Ir. Wahyudi Sutopo, M.Si.

The purpose of this gathering was to discuss financing and planning for the development of facilities within FT. Currently, UNS has the status of a Legal Entity Higher Education Institution (Perguruan Tinggi Badan Hukum, or PTNBH), which means that faculties are encouraged to innovate in obtaining financing for activities and infrastructure development.

In his remarks, Prof. Dr. Ir. Zainal Arifin, M.T., the Chair of SAF FT UNS, mentioned that FT received input from lecturers and students regarding the existing infrastructure.

“Today, we will discuss this matter. Certainly, many parties can be encouraged to provide funding, such as the state budget, non-state budget, and various CSRs. Moreover, with UNS now being a PTNBH, there is great potential for collaboration in programs with the government and business entities. We hope this can be an opportunity for FT to develop buildings, infrastructure, and laboratories,” he explained.

He also stated that the results of the discussion in this event would become SAF FT’s recommendation to the deanery to continue overseeing the development of infrastructure, both buildings and laboratories.

Meanwhile, Dr. Techn. Ir. Sholihin As’ad, M.T., the Dean of FT UNS, expressed optimism about the plan to build this integrated multidisciplinary laboratory.

“Although our financial sources are limited, our creativity is limitless. One of the ways to proceed is to sit together, discuss, and map out the financing. So, we need to first know how much we need. Through this proposal team, we can map out the need for space, buildings, and the cost of construction,” he said.

Dr. Eng. Halwan Alfisa Saifullah, the Head of the FT Proposal Team, explained that the construction of this Integrated Multidisciplinary Laboratory requires an investment of around IDR 300 billion for the provision of laboratory equipment for seven integrated projects and IDR 150 billion for the construction of the building infrastructure, which follows green design concepts.

“This facility will be used to produce 100 doctoral graduates, 300 masters, and 1,000 bachelors per year. Other outcomes include the potential for 50 intellectual property rights (IPR) and 100 public services, as well as collaboration with institutions at the national and international levels. This project also demonstrates the excellence of FT UNS in ‘Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation,’” he explained.

The KPBU must be implemented in four stages: planning, preparation, transactions, and the execution of the KPBU agreement. These four stages were discussed by the speakers so that stakeholders at FT UNS get a comprehensive overview to improve the investment plan, considering project structure, government support feasibility (Viability Gap Fund, VGF), and attractive investment evaluation criteria.

FT UNS is committed to incorporating the Integrated Multidisciplinary Laboratory Investment Plan into the strategic plan within the framework of ‘Engineering for UNS to Advance towards a World-Class University (WCU).’ Humas UNS