The Department of Economics and Development Studies (IESP) of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Diponegoro University in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS held the International Summer Course in Energy Economics and Economic Development for Coastal Transformation on May 2-7, 2026. This activity is part of an effort to internationalize academia as well as strengthen educational and research collaboration between the two universities. In the program, UTP sent 30 students and one accompanying lecturer, namely Associate Professor Dr. Muhammad Ridhuan Tony Lim Abdullah, to participate in a series of learning and community service within FEB Undip.
The International Summer Course in Energy Economics and Economic Development for Coastal Transformation was officially opened by Dr. Jaka Aminata as the Head of the Economics Study Program at Diponegoro University. In his remarks, he said that this activity is an important momentum to strengthen international academic collaboration, especially between FEB Undip and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. Dr. Jaka Aminata also hopes that this program can provide cross-cultural learning experiences for students while opening up wider opportunities for cooperation in the fields of education, research, and community service in the future.
The series of activities began with a classroom learning session that lasted for three days, from Monday, May 4 to Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the FEB Undip Tembalang Semarang campus. The participants received material related to coastal development, energy economics, and modern data analysis approaches by several lecturers from FEB Undip. The material included coastal development delivered by Dr. Hapsari Ayu Kusumawardahi, while the introduction of Geographic Information System (GIS) was presented by Maulana Ghani Yusuf. In addition, an Econometrics session was also given by Aris Munandar to introduce quantitative economic analysis methods to international participants.
Not only participating in classroom learning, UTP students are also invited to get to know various academic facilities owned by FEB Undip. One of the agendas that attracted the attention of participants was a visit to the Bloomberg FEB Undip Laboratory which became the first Bloomberg laboratory to be inaugurated in 2018 in an Indonesian university environment. During the visit, students were introduced to the use of global market and economic data for academic and professional analysis. Participants also had the opportunity to see other facilities such as international classrooms, canteens, lecturers’ rooms, and the Expression Dome area which is the center of FEB Undip student activities.
UTP Malaysia students see facilities at Bloomberg Lab
The academic atmosphere is increasingly interactive through the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) activity which brings together UTP students and Undip students in mixed groups. In the discussion, participants discussed various issues related to coastal development, regional economic transformation, and sustainable energy challenges that had previously been presented by the lecturers. This activity is expected to strengthen cross-border exchange of ideas and improve the international learning experience for students from both universities.
Presentation of the results of the FGD between UTP and Undip students on Marine Pollution
As the closing of the series of activities, on Thursday participants will carry out an International Community Service in Timbulsoko Village, Demak, as a form of implementation of coastal community-based learning. The presence of the UTP delegation was also warmly welcomed by the Dean of FEB Undip, Prof. Faisal, who expressed his hope that the cooperation between FEB Undip and UTP can continue to develop in the fields of education, research, and community service. Through this program, the two institutions are expected to be able to build sustainable international academic relationships and provide real benefits for future student capacity development.
Dr. Ridhuan, UTP representative, met with Prof. Faisal, Dean of FEB Undip
