UNM Students Reveal Secret to PKM Success: Collaboration Trumps GPA

The success of Universitas Nusa Mandiri (UNM) students, as a Digital Business Campus, in qualifying a number of proposals for the 2026 Student Creativity Programme (PKM) serves as proof of the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration in creating innovations relevant to societal and industrial needs. In the prestigious event organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek), various UNM student teams successfully secured national funding through innovative ideas combining perspectives from technology, business, social sciences, education, and entrepreneurship. This achievement further strengthens UNM’s position as a campus that consistently promotes a culture of research, creativity, and student innovation. Unlike conventional approaches that often focus on a single field of study, UNM’s PKM teams were built through collaboration among students from various study programmes. This synergy enables the birth of more comprehensive solutions in addressing the various challenges faced by society in the era of digital transformation. UNM Student Affairs Coordinator, Taopik Hidayat, stated that the students’ success in PKM 2026 is inseparable from their ability to build collaboration and integrate various expertise within one team. “The success of students qualifying for PKM 2026 shows that cross-disciplinary collaboration is a crucial strength in producing stronger, more solution-oriented, and applicable innovations. Current problems require diverse perspectives so that the resulting solutions truly provide benefits to society,” he said in a release received on Wednesday (22/7). According to Taopik, the world currently needs graduates who not only possess strong academic competence but are also able to work together with various scientific backgrounds to solve complex problems. He explained that the PKM coaching process at Universitas Nusa Mandiri is not solely oriented towards proposal writing. Students are also equipped with critical thinking skills, effective communication, project management, teamwork, and the ability to integrate various disciplines in developing innovations. “We continuously encourage students to step out of their respective scientific comfort zones. When technology students collaborate with business students or those from other fields, solutions are born that are not only technically innovative but also have greater value and implementation opportunities,” said Taopik. The success of several PKM 2026 proposals also shows that a multidisciplinary approach can enrich the research and idea development process. Students can view a problem from various perspectives, resulting in solutions that are more targeted, sustainable, and have a broad impact. As a Digital Business Campus, Universitas Nusa Mandiri remains committed to creating an academic ecosystem that encourages collaboration, creativity, and innovation based on technology and industry needs. Through various student development programmes, the campus strives to produce a young generation that is adaptive to change, capable of working in cross-field teams, and ready to face global challenges. “The students’ achievements in PKM 2026 are proof that collaboration is no longer just an option, but the main key in creating innovations capable of providing real solutions for society. This achievement also reinforces Universitas Nusa Mandiri’s commitment to producing superior, innovative, collaborative, and competitive talent in the digital era,” said Taopik.