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The discussion was attended by the Deputy Minister of Cooperatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Ferry Juliantono, S.E., Ak., M.Si., along with senior officials from the Ministry, including Special Staff Sarwoto Atmosutarno and Deputy for Cooperative Institutional and Digitalization Affairs, Henra Saragih.

The Ministry of Cooperatives’ delegation was welcomed by ITB Rector, Prof. Dr. Ir. Tatacipta Dirgantara, M.T., together with other members of the ITB leadership board. The event was also attended by the board of the ITB Employee Cooperative (Bahasa Indonesia: Koperasi Keluarga Pegawai, KKP ITB).

In his opening remarks, the Rector of ITB expressed his appreciation for the Ministry’s visit and introduced the role of KKP ITB as one of the active functional cooperatives within the higher education environment. This cooperative operates various business units including savings and loans, convenience stores, transportation services, and e-commerce, while also serving as a platform for social entrepreneurship (sociopreneurship) practice by students in collaboration with the School of Business and Management (SBM) ITB.

“Institut Teknologi Bandung is honored by the presence of the Deputy Minister and the delegation. We hope this collaboration will continue and bring broader benefits, particularly in strengthening cooperatives,” said the ITB Rector.

The Deputy Minister expressed his appreciation for ITB’s active involvement in supporting the development of cooperatives based on data and scientific knowledge. He highlighted the success of the Merah Putih Village/Urban Cooperatives Program (Bahasa Indonesia: Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih, KDMP), which has established over 80,000 village cooperatives in a short period. This program is part of President Prabowo’s broader strategy to drive national industrialization from the grassroots by positioning cooperatives as key actors in the people’s economy.

“I had discussions with ITB leaders, and we agreed that ITB must once again serve as the nation’s think tank. We are delighted that ITB is willing to be actively involved in supporting the success of the Merah Putih Village/Urban Cooperatives (Bahasa Indonesia: Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih, KDMP) Program,” said Dr. Ferry Juliantono.

The Ministry of Cooperatives also highlighted the potential for collaboration between ITB and the Ministry, particularly in strengthening village cooperatives. Several areas of cooperation include managerial and business governance mentoring, collaboration in product and supply chain development, innovation transfer, appropriate technology deployment, and cooperative business incubation programs.

In terms of human resource development, the Ministry is opening opportunities for training village cooperative managers and administrators in financial management, transparent governance, and skills in credit risk management and loan feasibility assessment.

In the field of inclusive finance, ITB, through KKP and digitalization partners, will also be involved in developing digital wallet platforms, QRIS-based payment systems, and cooperative savings schemes to support rural businesses, including those in the agricultural sector.

This collaboration will be followed up through various synergy initiatives, such as the formulation of data-driven precision village policies, the development of agricultural tools and technologies, and the digitalization of cooperative systems. ITB reaffirmed its commitment to contribute to the national mission of positioning villages as centers of sustainable economic growth.

“Through this collaboration, ITB not only strengthens its role as a higher education institution but also as a center of innovation and policy development,” said Prof. Tata.

The ITB Rector also expressed hope that this initiative will mark the beginning of broader university involvement in supporting the transformation of a people-centered economy—one that is inclusive and delivers real impact for rural communities across Indonesia.

Translator: Indira Akmalia Hendri