Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has several formal and informal measures to track the success of interdisciplinary research. UGM has evolved its metrics to reward cross-border collaboration, particularly through its Directorate of Research and Study (Research) Centers. The measures have been embedded in a comprehensive framework to measure and monitor the success of interdisciplinary science research across applicable disciplines. The university recognizes that complex global challenges require the integration of disciplinary methods, collaboration across fields of study, and systematic monitoring of cross-disciplinary research performance. To support this objective, UGM has incorporated interdisciplinary research indicators into its institutional strategic planning and performance management system.
Institutional Framework for Interdisciplinary Research Performance
UGM’s commitment to interdisciplinary science research is formally embedded in the UGM’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027 Within this strategic document, the university defines several performance indicators that measure outcomes related to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration. These indicators reflect UGM’s institutional approach to promoting the integration of knowledge and research methodologies across different scientific disciplines.
Key performance indicators outlined in the strategic plan include:
- Performance Indicator No. 20 (Strategic Plan 2022–2027, p.44). The percentage of interdisciplinary learning or research outcomes implemented in community service programs. This indicator highlights the integration of interdisciplinary knowledge into societal engagement and problem-solving initiatives.
- Performance Indicator No. 9 (Strategic Plan 2022–2027, p.43). The percentage of learning outcomes adopting transdisciplinary approaches that foster the exchange of knowledge and ideas across disciplines. This indicator reflects UGM’s effort to encourage interdisciplinary learning environments that support the development of interdisciplinary science research.
UGM measures and incentivizes interdisciplinary success are as follows:
At the faculty level, UGM uses a competition system for funding, i.e. in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences and Faculty of Medicine. The university sets broad, thematic Flagship/Umbrellas, e.g., Sustainable Environment or Digital Society, that require researchers from different disciplines to collaborate to win grants. The success measure of the flagship research model is the number of multi-faculty contributors on a single grant proposal.
- Global and National Bibliometrics of Research Performance Metrics
UGM heavily utilizes research performances using SciVal or Clarivate to track the number of publications, citation, FWCI, H Index in Scopus, Web of Science, or SINTA (Science and Technology Index), an Indonesian platform that tracks research performance. The measure is multidisciplinary impact that can tracks its H-Index or overall SINTA score, which now includes a metrics cluster that identifies authorship across different schools. If a paper in a Multidisciplinary Science journal is co-authored by a sociologist and a data scientist, both departments receive credit, encouraging beneficially cross-departmental projects.
- Subject-Specific Global Rankings
UGM explicitly uses World University Rankings by Subject to measure interdisciplinary Research. For example, in 2026, UGM highlighted that fields like Archaeology, Development Studies and Theology entered the global Top 100. These subjects are inherently interdisciplinary (blending between Geography, Agriculture and Forestry and Economics, Sociology, and History), their global rank serves as a proxy for the university’s success in merging these disciplines effectively.
- Specialized Interdisciplinary Study Centers
Success is often measured by the output of UGM’s Interdisciplinary Research Centers. These centers (like the Center for Digital Society or Center for Energy Studies) are evaluated based on policy impact and product downstreaming produced. The success measures are the number of evidence-based policy recommendations adopted by the Indonesian government and the transition of research into Innovation Products sold and employed by industries.
- Journal Accreditation
UGM publishes the Jurnal Teknosains, which is specifically dedicated to multi- and interdisciplinary studies. The journal is currently accredited a high national tier. The university measures the success of this discipline by the Impact Factor and the variety of disciplines represented in its accepted manuscripts
The measure summary of interdisciplinary research success within applicable disciplines are summed up as follows:
Through these indicators, UGM ensures that interdisciplinary research activities are embedded in both academic development and community impact initiatives. These indicators function as institutional measures of success for interdisciplinary science research, allowing the university to systematically evaluate cross-disciplinary research performance across faculties.
Institutional Performance Targets and Monitoring
UGM complements its strategic framework with an annual institutional performance monitoring system known as Performance Achievement Target (Target Capaian Kinerja-TCK). Faculties and schools are required to report measurable outcomes related to research performance, including interdisciplinary science research.
Several performance indicators within the TCK framework are specifically implemented at the faculty and school level in science-related disciplines, where interdisciplinary collaboration is most prominent. These include TCK No. 13, TCK No. 15, and TCK No. 19, which are applied in faculties and schools whose research activities involve the integration of disciplinary methods across scientific domains. These faculties and schools include:
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Faculty of Biology
- Faculty of Forestry
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
- Faculty of Agriculture
- Faculty of Animal Science
- Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- Vocational College
Within these faculties and schools, the following institutional performance indicators are used to evaluate cross-disciplinary research performance:
TCK No. 13
The number of transdisciplinary works disseminated through public knowledge-sharing platforms such as the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT), TED-style talks, and other science communication platforms. This indicator supports the dissemination and visibility of interdisciplinary science research.
TCK No. 19
The impact of research outputs measured through internationally recognized bibliometric indicators such as the H-index and Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI). These metrics evaluate the scholarly impact and visibility of interdisciplinary publications indexed in international databases such as Scopus and Web of Science.
TCK No. 15
The number of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research projects involving researchers from more than one faculty, department, or scientific field. This indicator directly measures the extent of cross-faculty collaboration and the integration of disciplinary methods in research activities.
These indicators enable the university to systematically monitor the productivity, collaboration intensity, and scholarly impact of interdisciplinary science research across the institution. Beyond faculty-level monitoring, UGM also applies institutional performance targets within central administrative units responsible for interdisciplinary research and innovation management, ensuring that interdisciplinary science research is supported and evaluated at the university-wide level.
For example:
Directorate of Research
TCK No. 9 measures the number of multidisciplinary research outputs involving researchers from more than one faculty, department, subject area, or scientific field. This indicator reflects the university’s commitment to fostering collaborative research and monitoring the outcomes of cross-disciplinary research performance across institutional research activities.
Directorate of Business Development
Another performance indicator measures the number of research-based innovation projects that receive funding from industry and strategic partners. This indicator highlights the translation of interdisciplinary science research into innovation, industry collaboration, and societal impact.
Through the integration of faculty-level indicators and university-level performance targets, UGM establishes a comprehensive monitoring system that evaluates the success of interdisciplinary science research, promotes the integration of disciplinary methods, and strengthens cross-disciplinary research performance across the institution.
Institutional Funding Mechanisms for Interdisciplinary Research
In addition to strategic indicators, UGM has developed several competitive research and innovation funding programs that serve as institutional mechanisms to stimulate and measure the success of interdisciplinary science research.
The Matching Fund (Dana Padanan) program supports collaborative innovation projects between universities and external partners, including industry, government institutions, and other organizations. The program promotes the utilization and commercialization of research outputs through collaborative innovation ecosystems involving academia, industry, and society.
Through this program, interdisciplinary research teams work with industry partners to develop innovative solutions, prototypes, and technology-based products that address real-world challenges. The program evaluates research success through measurable outputs such as innovation prototypes, commercialization pathways, industry partnerships, and technology adoption. These outputs provide indicators of cross-disciplinary research performance and the successful integration of research knowledge across fields.
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Applied Research Grant
UGM also implements the Applied Research Grant program through the UGM Science Techno Park to support the downstream development of research innovations. This program encourages research teams to collaborate with industry and other stakeholders to develop prototypes, scale up innovative technologies, and prepare research outcomes for commercialization.
Projects funded through this program are evaluated based on their Technology Readiness Level (TRL) progression, prototype development, and collaboration with industrial partners. These indicators provide measurable evidence of the impact and practical implementation of interdisciplinary science research.
To further promote innovation-driven interdisciplinary collaboration, UGM provides Startup Grants through the Innovative Academy under the UGM Science Techno Park ecosystem. The program supports multidisciplinary teams consisting of students, researchers, and entrepreneurs who develop technology-based startups addressing societal and industrial challenges.
Startup teams are required to demonstrate innovation potential, technological feasibility, and business sustainability. Program outcomes are measured through indicators such as product development, prototype scaling, market validation, intellectual property generation, and startup growth. These indicators reflect the real-world impact of interdisciplinary research and the translation of research outputs into innovation and entrepreneurship.
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EQUITY Programme
UGM further strengthens its institutional mechanisms for evaluating the success of interdisciplinary science research through the Enhancing Quality Education for International University Impacts and Recognition (EQUITY) Program: World Class University (WCU). The program is a strategic initiative designed to enhance research quality, international collaboration, innovation, and institutional reputation in global university rankings.
The EQUITY Program integrates multiple strategic activities across research, staff development, international collaboration, innovation, and institutional strengthening. These activities collectively support the development of interdisciplinary science research and enable the university to systematically evaluate cross-disciplinary research performance across faculties and research units.
The programme establishes measurable performance targets to evaluate research success, including the production of top-tier international journal publications (Top 10% by sub-subject indexed in Scopus), collaborative publications with international partners, patents and intellectual property outputs, and research outputs aligned with national research priorities.
These indicators are used to assess the impact and productivity of research activities that involve the integration of disciplinary methods across scientific fields.
Activites of EQUITY Programme:
- Research and Innovation Activities
- Innovation, Intellectual Property, and Technology Transfer
- Academic Capacity Development
- Community Engagement Based on Interdisciplinary Research
Monitoring Cross-Disciplinary Research Performance
Through the integration of strategic indicators, institutional performance targets, and competitive funding mechanisms, UGM continuously monitors the outcomes and impact of interdisciplinary science research using multiple quantitative and qualitative indicators, including:
- productivity of interdisciplinary publications in reputable journals indexed by Scopus or Web of Science, measured per lecturer or per faculty,
- citation impact indicators such as H-index and FWCI,
- number of collaborative research projects involving multiple faculties or departments,
These indicators collectively measure the integration of disciplinary methods, the effectiveness of cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the broader impact of interdisciplinary science research within the university.
Institutional Commitment to Interdisciplinary Science Research
By embedding interdisciplinary research indicators within strategic planning, institutional performance monitoring systems, and research funding programs, Universitas Gadjah Mada ensures that interdisciplinary science research is systematically measured, supported, and continuously improved.
This integrated framework enables the university to strengthen cross-disciplinary research performance, promote the integration of disciplinary methods, and ensure that interdisciplinary science research contributes meaningfully to scientific advancement, technological innovation, and societal development.
These indicators and funding mechanisms therefore function as institutional measures used by Universitas Gadjah Mada to evaluate the success, impact, and collaboration outcomes of interdisciplinary science research across applicable scientific disciplines.
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