Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) is encouraged to further strengthen its role as a center of excellence for the development of science and technology in the Sumatra region.
This expectation was conveyed by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Brian Yuliarto, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., during the Discussion Together activity attended by USU leaders and deans on Friday evening, September 25, 2026.
According to him, USU's strategic position is an important asset for the university to play a role as one of the main drivers of science and technology development in Sumatra.
“In Sumatra and in Indonesia, of course USU is one of the spearheads of science and technology development,” said the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
He stated that Indonesia, particularly the Sumatra region, needs more innovations and breakthroughs originating from higher education institutions. USU is expected to contribute through the development of excellent human resources, research results, knowledge-based policies, and innovations that can be developed through the downstreaming process.
According to him, USU's role should not be limited to producing graduates, but should also be directed toward building a strong innovation ecosystem and intellectual culture within the university.
“Our nation and Sumatra in particular certainly expect a great deal from the innovations and breakthroughs possessed by USU to produce excellent human resources, research products, policies, and downstreaming produced by USU as the spearhead of science and technology development in Sumatra,” he said.
The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology sees USU as having strong resources to carry out this role.
He considered the presence of professors and doctors at USU to be one of its intellectual strengths that can continue to be developed. According to him, this potential can be utilized not only in teaching but also to strengthen research and innovation activities.
“I always see these campuses as places where the best human resources in the region gather. There is no other place where such a large number of professors gather,” he said.
He also encouraged USU to further strengthen its transformation toward a research university and innovative university. According to him, the intellectual wealth possessed by the academic community needs to be developed into innovations that provide benefits while also having economic value.
“If a university has succeeded in selling its research, selling its innovations, selling its intellectual property, its intellectual property, patents, and so on, as part of the university's wealth, then this is a university that has entered cluster one,” he said.
According to him, higher education activities should not stop at the learning process and scientific publications. Research results need to continue to be developed so that they can produce products, patents, start-up companies, and technology-based industries.
He also encouraged USU to begin mapping research that has the potential to be developed into large-scale technology companies.
The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology explained that the deep tech industry is an industry based on mastery of science and technology. According to him, the development of such industries is needed in Indonesia to increase productivity as well as people's income.
As an example, he mentioned Nvidia, which initially developed from research in graphics technology and later played an important role in the development of artificial intelligence.
“Who would have thought that research for games would 20 years later become key research for Artificial Intelligence? Nvidia never imagined that. But once it happened, they immediately took over and took that position,” he said.
According to him, this development demonstrates that strong and consistently conducted research can produce a major impact when it meets the right momentum and industrial needs.
“Consistent research, strong research, which then at the right moment makes the leap into a giant industry,” he said.
Furthermore, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology considered that strengthening the research and innovation culture at USU could have a broader impact, not only on the university but also on North Sumatra and the surrounding regions.
According to him, a campus ecosystem that is strong in research and innovation has the potential to produce start-up companies and new industries, while also creating knowledge-based employment opportunities.
Based on this, he hopes that USU can take an increasingly significant role as a center of excellence for science and technology in Sumatra.
“State Universities with Legal Entity status such as USU must have the agility to seize this opportunity,” he said.
USU Rector Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., welcomed the expectation conveyed by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. He stated that USU had begun its transformation from a teaching university toward an innovative university.
“It is indeed not easy. The ones who can make that change are ourselves with the resources we have,” said Prof. Muryanto in front of USU leaders and deans.
According to him, the transformation process is being carried out by USU gradually with commitment and consistency.
“That time will come if we do it consistently and continuously at USU,” he said.
The transformation also strengthens the role of higher education institutions in providing quality education, producing innovations, and promoting the utilization of science and technology to address various community needs. This effort is in line with the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, through strengthening human resource capacity, research, innovation, and technology development that can contribute to sustainable development in Sumatra and Indonesia.