UBSI Lecturers Secure Kemendiktisaintek Grant to Assist Farming Group in Boosting Cassava Product Value

Lecturers from Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika (UBSI), known as a Creative Digital Campus, have achieved a proud milestone by securing funding for the 2026 Community Service Programme from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) through the BIMA platform under the Community Partnership Empowerment (PKM) scheme. Through a programme titled ‘Digital Transformation to Increase the Value of Cassava Products’, the UBSI lecturer team is providing assistance to the Cikeas Sukses Sejahtera Farming Group to enhance the added value of cassava-based products by strengthening production capacity, digitising financial management, and developing technology-based business ventures. As an initial step, the community service team held a socialisation event and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with farming group members on Friday, 12 June 2026. The activity served as a discussion forum to identify the partners’ needs and design a sustainable business development strategy. The head of the community service team, Teni Agustina, explained that the programme is designed to help the farming group optimise the potential of cassava so that it attains higher economic value and can compete in a wider market. ‘Through this programme funded by Kemendiktisaintek, we aim to assist the farming group not only in producing quality products but also in managing their business professionally. Cassava has great potential to be developed into value-added products that can improve community welfare,’ she stated. During the socialisation, Teni Agustina presented material on the processing plans and production processes for cassava-based products, covering production stages, quality control, and product innovation opportunities to enhance market competitiveness. Meanwhile, team members Sucitra Sahara and Cucu Ika Agustyaningrum delivered material on the implementation of a digital financial application to be used by the farming group to support more effective and structured business management. According to Sucitra Sahara, utilising digital technology in financial management is a crucial step towards increasing the sustainability of community enterprises. ‘The financial application to be implemented is expected to help farming group members record transactions, prepare financial reports, and monitor business progress more easily and accurately. With sound financial management, the opportunities for business growth will certainly be greater,’ she said. The programme focuses not only on improving product quality but also on strengthening human resource capacity through the use of digital technology. This approach is expected to encourage the farming group to be more adaptive to the times while enhancing the competitiveness of local products. The success of the UBSI lecturer team in obtaining the Community Service grant from Kemendiktisaintek demonstrates the campus’s commitment to providing real solutions for society through the application of science and technology. Beyond being an academic achievement for the lecturers, this programme also highlights the active role of higher education in supporting community economic empowerment based on local potential. Through sustained assistance, the Cikeas Sukses Sejahtera Farming Group is expected to produce value-added cassava products, expand market access, and improve the welfare of its members. This programme also represents a tangible contribution by UBSI in supporting the digital transformation of the agricultural sector and strengthening the grassroots economy.