EduAsiaNews, Surakarta — Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK) has officially partnered with the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia in a campus-based young entrepreneurship development program. ITK Vice Rector Erma Suryani represented the university at the launch of the Campuspreneur: Export-Oriented Young Entrepreneur Development Program, held at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) in Solo on April 2, 2026. The participation of ITK, along with several leading universities from across Indonesia, marks a new chapter in efforts to cultivate a generation of young entrepreneurs ready to compete in the global market.
The program was officially launched by Indonesia’s Minister of Trade, Budi Santoso, in front of university rectors and leaders attending both in person and virtually. The launch was also accompanied by the signing of several strategic cooperation documents between the Ministry of Trade and various universities, covering the implementation of the Tridharma in the trade sector, the development of export-oriented young entrepreneurs, and Letters of Intent with the modern retail sector. “Students are no longer prepared solely as job seekers, but must also become job creators—even young exporters capable of bringing Indonesian products to the global market,” Minister Budi Santoso emphasized.
Campuspreneur is designed as a comprehensive entrepreneurial support ecosystem for students. The program will be strengthened through entrepreneurship training, business matching, and direct collaboration with Indonesia’s trade representative network abroad, including Trade Attachés and Indonesian Trade Promotion Centers (ITPC). With this network, participating students are expected to identify export market opportunities and build globally competitive businesses.
For ITK, participation in this program holds significant strategic relevance. As a technology-focused university based in East Kalimantan—an area rich in natural resources and now designated as the site of Indonesia’s new capital—ITK has strong potential to produce young entrepreneurs who can transform local advantages into export-value products. Through this program, ITK students are expected not only to be ready to enter the workforce but also to create new job opportunities with broad impacts for the people of Kalimantan.
Minister Budi Santoso added that Indonesia’s entrepreneurship ratio currently stands at around 3.29 percent, still far behind Malaysia at approximately 8 percent and developed countries at over 10 percent. Through Campuspreneur, the government aims to significantly increase this figure by positioning universities as structured, internationally oriented business incubators. ITK, together with its partner institutions, is now taking an active role in achieving this ambitious target. (**)
( Sources: itk.ac.id)
