Promoting Research with Real Impact on Society, UAD organizes IMPACT training collaboratively
Yogyakarta, July 23, 2025 — Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD), in collaboration with Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) and Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES), organized the IMPACT Training Program titled “Creating and Enhancing Research Impact Beyond the University.” The two-day training took place on July 22–23, 2025, at the Leadership Room, 3rd Floor, Faculty of Law, UII Yogyakarta.
This initiative is part of an international collaboration with the University of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, which delegated its higher education leadership expert, Prof. David Dawson, as the keynote speaker. The training aims to build the capacity of research centers to generate broader research impact. Utilizing the Impact Enhancement Framework approach, the program highlights five key steps in designing and expanding research impact: articulating, generating, evidencing, sustaining, and extending impact.
The training was not only theoretical but also practical. Participants were equipped with the skills to integrate impact-based strategies into their research practices and to design real actions for implementing research agendas that benefit society. In addition, participants will receive ongoing mentorship to ensure sustainable implementation of the framework.
A total of 24 participants from various research centers and units took part in this training. From UAD, seven heads of research centers were present, including the Ahmad Dahlan Halal Center, the Astronomy Study Center, the Disaster Mitigation and Management Study Center, the Energy and Environment Study Center, the Disability Study Center, the Sakinah Family Study Center, and the Public Policy Study Center. UAD’s Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Prof. Sunardi, stated that this training aligns well with the spirit of research downstreaming, which goes beyond publication and directly addresses societal needs. He also emphasized that the program is expected to equip newly appointed research center heads with insights to further develop their centers.
Sustained Leadership Capacity Building in Higher Education
This IMPACT training is a continuation of the Erasmus+ grant program aimed at strengthening leadership capacity in higher education, previously held at UAD in 2023, which targeted deans and vice deans. After successfully helping university leaders develop change projects within their respective units, this time the training focuses on human resources within research centers. UAD’s Vice Rector for Human Resources, Dr. Norma Sari, stated that such capacity-building programs are valuable opportunities that should be fully utilized as a result of the strategic partnership between UAD and the University of Gloucestershire.