UMY Allocates Special Funds to Support Students in Becoming Entrepreneurs

Students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) who possess business ideas or startup ventures can receive support from the university. UMY is preparing funding as well as incubation programmes to assist students in developing their businesses.

The Secretary of UMY, Dr Bachtiar Dwi Kurniawan, stated that the campus operates the Business Incubation Centre (SEBI), which serves as a platform for student business development. “We have indeed allocated a special budget for business incubation ventures and for startups initiated by students,” Bachtiar said when contacted on Friday (21/08/2026).

The programme begins by inventorying the entrepreneurial potential of students. Following this, students are required to draft business proposals to be submitted to the university. “First, from an educational perspective, we have courses within our curriculum focused on entrepreneurship,” he explained.

“Secondly, we inventory the entrepreneurial potential of our students. We collect that data, after which they create proposals and apply for funding from us, which we then provide,” he continued.

Beyond mere funding, Bachtarr noted that UMY also provides space for students to showcase their products through various entrepreneurship expos. These expos serve as a way to connect student products with external parties, including companies or industries that could potentially assist in business development.

“We provide showcases. If external parties become interested, it will certainly attract companies to mass-produce, distribute, and market the products,” he clarified.

UMY’s entrepreneurship programme does not only target students. Bachtiar mentioned that the concept is applied through community service via ‘KKN entrepreneur’ (Student Community Service) and faculty-led initiatives. “Community assistance is provided for various business sectors, ranging from agriculture and livestock to processed goods,” he said.

In addition to student-led community service, Bachtiar noted that UMY lecturers are also involved in the development of local MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises). “Faculty service includes many clusters related to assisting community MSME entrepreneurs,” he added.

For every community service programme, UMY also allocates funding. “For every service initiative, we certainly allocate a funding percentage of 30 per cent of the total service value,” Bachtiar concluded.