UNISSULA Participation in Policy Development and Implementation to Address Poverty

Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) participates in government and stakeholder frameworks that support the development and implementation of programmes addressing poverty and its multidimensional causes.

UNISSULA recognises that poverty is not limited to income. Poverty is also associated with unequal access to education, employment, healthcare, economic opportunities, skills, technology, public services, and sustainable livelihoods.

In 2025, UNISSULA strengthened its participation in local and regional development-policy frameworks through formal cooperation with local and provincial governments.

Through education, research, community service, regional development initiatives, and the transfer of university expertise, UNISSULA contributes evidence, knowledge, human-resource development, and community-based interventions that can support public programmes aimed at improving welfare and reducing socioeconomic disadvantage.

Local-Level Participation: Cooperation with the Government of Kudus Regency

In 2025, UNISSULA entered into a formal cooperation agreement with the Government of Kudus Regency.

The agreement, No. 017/C.2/MoU-DN/SA/X/2025 / No. 30 Tahun 2025, was signed on 13 October 2025 by the Rector of UNISSULA and the Regent of Kudus.

The agreement establishes cooperation in:

• education;
• research;
• community service; and
• improvement of regional competitiveness in Kudus Regency.

The partnership is intended to strengthen cooperation in education, research, and community service and to utilise the potential and resources of both institutions to support their respective development objectives.

The scope of cooperation includes:

• improving the quality of human resources through education and training;
• providing information, teaching materials, educational facilities, expertise, and the development of science and technology;
• developing human-resource potential, infrastructure, and other regional resources in a planned, integrated, transparent, accountable, effective, and efficient manner;
• strengthening cooperation in research and community service to improve the quality of development in Kudus Regency; and
• implementing other development activities mutually agreed upon by both parties.

These areas are relevant to several dimensions associated with poverty reduction, particularly human-capital development, skills improvement, access to education, local economic capacity, community development, and regional competitiveness.

Joint Institutional and Public Funding

The 2025 UNISSULA–Kudus Regency agreement also establishes a framework for joint implementation and financing.

Implementation costs may be supported through:

• the UNISSULA budget;
• the Kudus Regency Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD); and
• other legally permitted funding sources.

This funding framework demonstrates that the partnership is not limited to informal consultation. It creates an institutional mechanism through which university expertise and public resources can be mobilised jointly for education, research, community-service, and regional-development programmes.

Through this framework, UNISSULA participates in the implementation environment of local-government development policies and programmes.

Supporting Local Poverty Reduction through Human and Economic Development

The UNISSULA–Kudus cooperation framework provides opportunities for university expertise to contribute to programmes addressing several structural dimensions of poverty.

Potential areas covered by the formal agreement include:

• education and skills development;
• workforce and human-resource capacity;
• community empowerment;
• local entrepreneurship;
• MSME development;
• application of science and technology;
• access to knowledge and training;
• regional economic competitiveness; and
• community-based research and development.

These interventions can contribute to poverty reduction by improving people’s capacity to obtain employment, generate income, develop businesses, access knowledge, and participate in regional economic development.

UNISSULA therefore contributes not only through research and academic discussion, but also through formal institutional cooperation with government in the implementation of development programmes.

Regional-Level Participation: Government of Central Java Province

At the regional level, UNISSULA also maintains formal cooperation with the Government of Central Java Province.

In 2025, a cooperation agreement identified as No. 016/C.2/SA-LPPM/III/2025 covered the implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education in support of regional development.

This cooperation creates an institutional framework through which UNISSULA can contribute:

• research;
• evidence and academic expertise;
• community-service programmes;
• innovation;
• human-resource development; and
• university-community engagement.

Such university-government cooperation is relevant to multidimensional poverty because regional development policy encompasses economic welfare, employment, education, community resilience, public services, and local development.

Research and Innovation for Regional Policy Development

UNISSULA’s regional engagement is also demonstrated through collaboration with the Central Java Regional Research and Innovation Agency (BRIDA Jawa Tengah).

In May 2025, UNISSULA’s Faculty of Industrial Technology collaborated with BRIDA Central Java in activities related to the 2025 Regional Research Works Appreciation programme.

The initiative brought together academics, researchers, and representatives of regional government agencies to strengthen synergy between research, innovation, and regional development.

This form of engagement strengthens the connection between university research and public-sector decision-making by encouraging research outputs that respond to regional development challenges.

Place-Based Development Evidence

UNISSULA also contributes to local and regional development through applied planning activities.

In 2025, the Urban and Regional Planning Programme conducted field-based planning activities in Batang and Pekalongan Regencies.

These activities involved government stakeholders and produced not only academic outputs but also development ideas and analysis for the regions concerned.

Such place-based research and planning can provide local governments with university-generated analysis relevant to development priorities involving:

• community infrastructure;
• economic potential;
• settlements;
• public services; and
• regional welfare.

Research-Based Policy Contribution

UNISSULA supports policy engagement through research addressing socioeconomic and community-development challenges.

Relevant research and community-engagement areas include:

• poverty alleviation;
• MSME empowerment;
• Islamic social finance;
• zakat and social welfare;
• entrepreneurship;
• digital economic inclusion;
• community economic resilience;
• healthcare access;
• education;
• disaster resilience; and
• community capacity building.

Through the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) and academic faculties, research findings can be translated into programmes, recommendations, and applied interventions developed with government and community partners.

Islamic Social Finance and Poverty Reduction

UNISSULA also addresses poverty through Islamic social-finance mechanisms.

Through LAZIS Sultan Agung, zakat, infaq, and sadaqah are used to support:

• educational assistance;
• economically disadvantaged beneficiaries;
• social welfare;
• community empowerment; and
• other poverty-related needs.

This provides an institutional model linking university social responsibility with practical programmes targeting socioeconomic vulnerability.

While LAZIS activities primarily represent programme implementation rather than government policy making, the experience generated through these programmes strengthens UNISSULA’s practical understanding of poverty intervention and community welfare.

From Research to Government and Community Programmes

UNISSULA’s policy contribution is based on an integrated cycle of:

research and evidence → cooperation with government → programme development → community implementation → evaluation and knowledge transfer

This model enables university expertise to contribute to development challenges beyond the campus.

Through formal government agreements and collaborative development activities, UNISSULA participates in frameworks that connect academic knowledge with government programmes and community needs.

Multidimensional Approach to Poverty

UNISSULA approaches poverty as a multidimensional development issue.

Its government and community partnerships address dimensions including:

• income and livelihoods;
• education and skills;
• employment;
• MSME development;
• healthcare;
• social welfare;
• digital inclusion;
• infrastructure;
• community resilience;
• innovation; and
• regional economic competitiveness.

This approach supports the implementation of programmes and policies intended to improve welfare and reduce conditions that contribute to poverty.

Institutional Commitment to Policy Participation

UNISSULA’s role in poverty reduction extends beyond delivering isolated community programmes.

Through formal partnerships with local and regional governments, applied research, community engagement, regional planning, and the mobilisation of university expertise, UNISSULA participates in development-policy and programme-implementation frameworks that address socioeconomic disadvantage and multiple dimensions associated with poverty.

For the 2025 reporting period, the strongest documented participation is at:

• Local level: Government of Kudus Regency
• Regional level: Government of Central Java Province

These partnerships demonstrate UNISSULA’s participation in government development frameworks through education, research, community service, human-resource development, regional competitiveness, and evidence-based interventions.

Evidence of Policy Participation

UNISSULA’s policy participation in 2025 is demonstrated through the following institutional activities:

1. Local level – Government of Kudus Regency: formal 2025 agreement between UNISSULA and the Government of Kudus Regency covering education, research, community service, human-resource development, and improvement of regional competitiveness.
2. Local-level implementation framework: joint financing may involve UNISSULA resources, the Kudus Regency APBD, and other lawful funding sources, creating a mechanism for jointly implemented development programmes.
3. Regional level – Government of Central Java Province: formal 2025 cooperation supporting the Tri Dharma of Higher Education in regional development under document No. 016/C.2/SA-LPPM/III/2025.
4. Regional research and policy ecosystem: collaboration with BRIDA Central Java involving academics, researchers, and regional government agencies in strengthening research and innovation for regional development.
5. Local and regional planning contribution: applied regional-planning activities involving local governments and development analysis in Central Java.
6. Research, community-service, and Islamic social-finance programmes addressing socioeconomic vulnerability and other multidimensional aspects associated with poverty.