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The Undergraduate Program in Business Administration of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FISIP USU), successfully organized the International Summer Course 2026 with the theme “Local Potential-Based Entrepreneurship: Innovation, Collaboration, and Sustainability in North Sumatera” on September 7–12, 2026. This activity was part of USU's internationalization efforts as well as a platform for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and entrepreneurial practices based on local potential, involving participants and speakers from Indonesia and abroad.
The series of activities took place in two main forms, namely course or classroom learning sessions and field visits. Through a combination of theoretical learning and direct field experiences, participants had the opportunity to understand how local potential can be developed into economic strengths through innovation, collaboration, and sustainability principles.
The activity began with an opening ceremony held at the Multipurpose Hall of FISIP Universitas Sumatera Utara and attended by the Dean of FISIP USU, faculty leadership, lecturers, students, and International Summer Course participants from Malaysia, Syria, and Pakistan. The opening ceremony also featured an international speaker from Malaysia who provided perspectives on the development of entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration in addressing global economic challenges.
The course sessions were subsequently delivered by several speakers from Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The presence of international speakers from Malaysia and the Philippines provided global perspectives and experiences from other countries, while local speakers provided an understanding of the conditions, potential, and practices of entrepreneurship development in Indonesia, particularly in North Sumatra. The combination of international and local perspectives created a more comprehensive learning space for participants.
During the learning sessions, participants received materials and discussed various aspects of entrepreneurship based on local potential**,** ranging from identifying and mapping local potential, innovation and increasing product added value, marketing strategies and digitalization, strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem, to developing businesses oriented toward sustainability and global market opportunities.
After completing the course sessions, the activity continued with field visits to various locations in Medan City, Simalungun Regency, and Samosir Regency. The field activities were designed as part of experiential learning so that participants could directly observe various forms of local potential development and entrepreneurial practices in the community.
In Medan City, participants were introduced to various economic potentials, businesses, creative industries, and entrepreneurial activities developing in an urban environment. The visit to Simalungun Regency then provided participants with an experience of observing the development of regional potential related to natural resources, culture, tourism, and community economic activities.
The series of field visits then continued to Samosir Regency, one of the strategic areas for tourism development in the Lake Toba region. Participants had the opportunity to learn more about tourism potential, culture, local products, and community economic activities. This visit also provided an overview of the importance of integrating local potential, innovation, community involvement, and sustainability principles in the development of entrepreneurship and tourism.
Through the series of classroom learning and field visits, the International Summer Course 2026 provided participants with broader academic and cultural experiences. Interaction between participants and international and local speakers also served as a space for building networks, sharing experiences, and opening opportunities for future academic and institutional collaboration.
The implementation of the International Summer Course 2026 was one form of the commitment of the Undergraduate Program in Business Administration, FISIP Universitas Sumatera Utara, to strengthening the internationalization of higher education while introducing the local potential of North Sumatra to the international community. Through the theme “Local Potential-Based Entrepreneurship: Innovation, Collaboration, and Sustainability in North Sumatra,” the activity positioned local potential as a source of learning and innovation that can be developed through cross-country collaboration and directed toward sustainable entrepreneurship development.