Mapping University Research and Community Service Partnerships: Implications for Sustainable Development and Performance

Abstract

University partnerships are an important mechanism for extending the relevance and impact of research and community service. They can connect academic knowledge with industry, government, communities, and other stakeholders, thereby creating opportunities to support sustainable development. This study aims to map research and community service partnerships in 2025 based on partner characteristics, geographical coverage, formalization through Memoranda of Agreement (MoA), and their associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A descriptive quantitative approach was applied to secondary administrative data managed by the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta. Partnership activities were classified by activity type, industrial or non-industrial/general partner, and domestic or international partner. Frequencies and percentages were used to identify partnership patterns. The 2025 dataset contained 93 activities, comprising 57 research activities and 36 community service activities. Domestic partners accounted for 92.47% of activities, while non-industrial/general partners accounted for 73.12%. A formal MoA was recorded for 39 activities (41.94%). SDG 9, SDG 8, and SDG 2 were the most frequently associated goals. The study contributes an institutional mapping framework that combines activity type, partner characteristics, geographical coverage, formal partnership status, and SDG orientation. The results provide a baseline for partner diversification, internationalization, and more impact-oriented partnership management, although SDG and university performance achievements were not directly measured.