“Universities are our strategic partners in nurturing new entrepreneurs, particularly to support MSMEs in scaling up and becoming sustainable,” Helvi remarked after the Entrepreneur Hub 2025 event at Gunung Jati University (UGJ) in Cirebon on Wednesday.
He emphasized that accelerating MSME development cannot be achieved in isolation and must involve universities as centers of knowledge and innovation.
To this end, the Ministry of MSMEs has launched the Entrepreneur Hub program in Cirebon, which aims to create new entrepreneurs through collaboration with the education sector.
Helvi noted that universities are expected to produce research that can be evaluated for its economic potential and utilized to improve the welfare of the academic community.
“We believe acceleration can only happen if campuses are actively involved. UGJ Cirebon, for example, already has supporting infrastructure such as a business incubator and entrepreneurship curriculum,” he explained.
Helvi emphasized that MSME development must be collaborative in nature. Strengthening partnerships among universities, banks, licensing agencies, and market actors is crucial.
He expressed confidence that universities in Cirebon can produce entrepreneurs driven not by necessity but by vision, knowledge, and innovative capacity.
“MSMEs cannot grow alone. Cross-sector collaboration is a must, and we continue to push universities to become the primary drivers of this effort,” he added.
Meanwhile, UGJ Rector Achmad Faqih expressed gratitude for the central government’s support of entrepreneurship programs within campuses.
He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to strengthening local MSMEs through innovation, technology, and sustained academic mentoring.
“This support motivates us to keep pushing MSMEs in the Cirebon region to level up and enhance their competitiveness,” he remarked.
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Translator: Fathnur, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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