UNM Rector Secures National Grant 2026! AI Research for Agriculture Set to Transform Farmers' Futures

Universitas Nusa Mandiri (UNM), a Digital Business Campus, has once again achieved a proud milestone in national research. The UNM Rector, Prof Dr Ir Dwiza Riana, S.Si., M.M., M.Kom., IPU, ASEAN.Eng, secured funding for the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant (PDD) for the 2026 financial year from the DPPM Kemdiktisaintek. In this research, Prof Dwiza acts as lead proposer with the title ‘Development of a High-Precision Image Interpolation Method and Adaptive Loss Function to Stabilize a Deep Learning-Based Potato Plant Pest Detection Model’. The research forms part of UNM’s strategic effort to develop AI-based technologies with direct societal impact, especially in the agricultural sector. The focus is on improving the accuracy and stability of the potato pest detection model through a deep learning approach. The research team comprises Prof Dr Ir Dwiza Riana as chair, Dr Muhammad Haris, M.Eng as member, and Sri Hadianti, M.Kom as a doctoral Informatics student. The collaboration is expected to yield innovations that are academically outstanding and practical on the ground. The head of LPPM UNM, Andi Saryoko, expressed appreciation for the achievement. This success demonstrates UNM’s strong commitment to developing research that is not only publication-oriented but also has a real-world impact on society. ‘We are optimistic that AI-based innovations can become concrete solutions to support modern agriculture,’ he said in a press release received on Tuesday, 19 May 2026. This success also reinforces UNM’s consistency in securing national research grants and strengthens its position as an institution outstanding in research and innovation. The direct involvement of university leadership in the research also reflects a productive and collaborative academic culture. Furthermore, the research results are expected to support the transformation toward a smart farming system. The technologies developed could help farmers detect pests quickly and accurately, reducing losses and increasing agricultural productivity. ‘This innovation also holds the potential to be developed into a digital application that can be used by farmers across Indonesia, thus the benefits can be widely felt,’ he added. As a Digital Business Campus with the tagline ‘Turn Dreams into Achievements’, UNM continues to commit to delivering technology innovations that are relevant, solutions-oriented, and impactful for the nation’s progress. This achievement proves that research does not stop in the laboratory but can become a real-world solution for people’s lives.