USU PUBLIC RELATIONS – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) held the second Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as part of the establishment of the Center of Excellence (CoE) for Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Development in North Sumatra Province on Monday (September 14, 2026). The activity took place at the USU Academic Senate Room.

In his remarks, USU Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, and Cooperation, Prof. Dr. Eng. Himsar Ambarita, S.T., M.T., stated that the establishment of the CoE represents a form of collaboration between educational institutions and the government in supporting low-carbon development.

“As an educational institution, we are working together to establish what is called a Center of Excellence. As part of the process toward its establishment, we are holding these FGDs,” he said.

He also explained that through this collaboration, experts from USU are expected to assist the government in implementing low-carbon development policies. He emphasized that the CoE would not merely serve as a gathering place for academics, but would also provide insights and recommendations that could support policy implementation.

“We hope that the experts we have can later contribute to the implementation of these policies,” he explained.

Prof. Dr. Eng. Himsar Ambarita, S.T., M.T., expressed his hope that the CoE, once established, would become an institution capable of providing ideas and expertise to help the government implement low-carbon development policies.

“Once established, we hope it can become a think tank that contributes ideas and insights to support the implementation of low-carbon development policies,” he added.

Senior Provincial Coordinator of LCDI-2 OPML, Dr. Agus Marwan, S.IP., M.SP., explained that the second FGD was held to develop the framework for the CoE for Low-Carbon Development. According to him, the establishment of the CoE is expected to strengthen the implementation of low-carbon development, particularly in North Sumatra.

“The purpose of this FGD is to design the framework for the Center of Excellence for Low Carbon Development Indonesia,” he explained.

He added that the CoE is also expected to assist local governments in addressing their needs related to low-carbon development while creating opportunities for collaboration with various regions.

“We hope that in the future, city groups that may not yet have plans to prepare carbon-related documents can collaborate with the Sumatra Center,” he said.

(Photo: Muhammad Andriansyah)

Andrian, S.T., Head of the Economic and Natural Resources Division of the Regional Development Planning, Research, and Innovation Agency (Bapperida) of North Sumatra Province, stated that low-carbon development requires support in both planning and implementation at the regional level.

He also explained that documents related to low-carbon development need to be integrated into regional development planning documents so that emission reduction targets can become part of local government policies.

“This is a national program that is being implemented at the provincial level. We hope that representatives from the regencies and cities will also incorporate low-carbon development policies into their RPJMD, Strategic Plans (Renstra), and Regional Government Work Plans (RKPD),” Andrian explained.

The establishment of the CoE is expected to serve not only as a research center but also as a collaborative platform for academics, government, the business sector, and communities. The CoE will be directed toward generating knowledge, innovation, and policy recommendations to support the sustainable development of North Sumatra.