Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), the Purworejo Regency Government, and the Indonesian Air Force have strengthened their collaboration to develop the southern coastal area of Purworejo through a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) held at the UNY Rectorate on Thursday (April 2, 2026).

The FGD marked an initial strategic step to reinforce inter-institutional synergy in designing integrated development programs across multiple sectors, including education, research, community empowerment, healthcare services, and regional defense.

The forum was attended by leaders from UNY, officials of the Purworejo Regency Government, and representatives of the Indonesian Air Force, including the Air Force Academy. The discussion aimed to identify priority sectors, explore collaboration opportunities, and map regional resources that can be jointly developed.

UNY Rector Prof. Sumaryanto emphasized the university’s readiness to follow up on the collaboration initiatives. This commitment was further reinforced by Vice Rector for Cooperation and Information Systems Prof. Soni Nopemberi, who highlighted UNY’s extensive experience in partnerships with local governments and military institutions. These include internship programs, fieldwork practices, expert assistance, advanced education for military personnel, and specialized training programs.

He also underlined the strategic importance of the southern coastal area of Purworejo, which is supported by its connectivity to Yogyakarta International Airport and the southern Java transportation corridor, making it a promising hub for integrated regional development.

Several key initiatives were proposed during the discussion, including the establishment of an off-campus study program (PSDKU), the development of an academic hospital, the creation of an integrated air defense training and operations center, and support for a planned hajj embarkation facility. These initiatives are expected to position the region as a center for education, healthcare, public services, and defense.

Purworejo Regent Yuli Hastuti stated that the collaboration is aimed at improving human resource quality through education and training, advancing applied research to address regional challenges, fostering innovation and community empowerment, and developing data-driven monitoring systems for regional development. The local government also expressed readiness to support the program, including providing strategic land for sustainable implementation.

From the Indonesian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Purwoko Aji Prabowo emphasized the importance of strengthening human resources, including foreign language training for personnel. Meanwhile, Air Force Academy Governor Donald Kasenda highlighted the need to develop a radar center in the southern region to address existing coverage gaps and support national defense.

Through this collaboration, the three institutions reaffirmed their commitment to transforming regional potential into concrete programs, creating a strong model of synergy between higher education, local government, and defense institutions to accelerate sustainable development in Purworejo’s southern coastal area.

This collaboration supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) through academic programs and capacity building; SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) through strengthened institutional cooperation and regional defense systems; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration between universities, government, and military institutions in sustainable regional development.