YOGYAKARTA (12/12/2025) – Mercu Buana University Yogyakarta (UMBY) has once again achieved success by successfully holding the International Conference on Social Entrepreneurship (ICSE) 2025 as part of its 39th anniversary celebrations.

Held on Saturday (December 6, 2025), the conference attracted more than 250 participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines online, providing a global collaboration space for academics, researchers, practitioners, and the social entrepreneurship community.

UMBY Rector Dr. Ir. Agus Slamet, S.TP., M.P., MCE., opened the event by emphasizing that ICSE is part of the campus' commitment to strengthening a culture of sustainable research.

“This conference is not only a space for sharing knowledge, but also a space for fostering innovation that benefits the world of education and society at large,” he said on Wednesday (10/12/2025).

ICSE 2025 Committee Chair, Naela Faza Fariha, S.Si., M.Sc., explained that this year's theme, “Strengthening Entrepreneurship Skills through Education, Culture, and Technology,” was chosen in response to the global need for the integration of educational innovation, local cultural wisdom, and technology in building an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

She added that participant enthusiasm was very high, as evidenced by over 250 participants and 110 scientific papers presented in parallel sessions. The conference also featured prestigious speakers from various countries. The keynote speaker was Prof. Dr. Siti Tamaroh Cahyono Murti, M.P. (UMBY), followed by international speakers such as Prof. Dr. Youngcook Jun (South Korea) and Dr. Rudolf Wirawan, Ph.D. (Australia).

Next were Prof. Madya Dr. Siti Fatimah Mohamad (Malaysia), Mr. Jeft Nino M. Taal (Philippines), and Dr. Bekele Shibiru Arsedi (Ethiopia). These experts presented broad perspectives on the development of global social entrepreneurship.

In her presentation, Prof. Siti Tamaroh highlighted the issue of high unemployment in Indonesia and the importance of early entrepreneurship education to produce a creative, innovative, and resilient generation. “The four essential skills for entrepreneurs are creative thinking, time management, effective communication, and strategic thinking,” she emphasized.

Meanwhile, Dr. Rudolf Wirawan raised a new paradigm of entrepreneurship that combines an extractive approach based on rationality and efficiency with a regenerative approach that emphasizes relationships, culture, and sustainability.

In addition to the conference, ICSE 2025 also featured competitions between students and university students, including poster contests, creative videos, and debates. The competition, which took place online on December 2, 2025, was attended by 54 poster participants, 26 creative video teams, and 6 debate teams.

The winner of the poster competition was Muhammad Roekhan (Telkom University), the winner of the creative video competition was from Udayana University Bali, and the Darussalam Gontor and UMBY teams emerged as the high school and university debate champions.

The success of ICSE 2025 was further enhanced by the support of international co-hosts, including Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI), Capiz State University (CAPSU), Kuala Lumpur University (UniKL), University of Wales, Harambee University, Aklan State University, ICCCM.

Also, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), UNIDA Gontor, and Kesatuan Bangsa School. This collaboration underscores the strength of cross-border academic networks and reinforces UMBY's position in international education forums.