UNIPMA — The Faculty of Economics and Business of Universitas PGRI Madiun (FEB UNIPMA) strengthened the contribution of higher education to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in education and economic growth, through The 8th SIMBA 2026, International Seminar on Management, Business and Accounting Innovation.

Held online via Zoom on Saturday (19/9), the seminar carried the theme “Circular Growth, Resilience Governance: Uniting Business Ecosystems, Communities, and Innovation for Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals”. The forum discussed sustainable business, governance, innovation, and inclusive development.

These issues are increasingly important as corporate sustainability reporting continues to grow, while investors, regulators, and the public still face challenges in distinguishing genuine progress from green claims. Therefore, measurement and governance are essential to ensure that sustainability performance can be properly accounted for.

The 8th SIMBA was opened by the Rector of UNIPMA, Dr. Supri Wahyudi Utomo, M.Pd., followed by remarks from the Dean of FEB UNIPMA, Dr. Anggita Langgeng Wijaya, S.E., M.Si., Ak., CA., CPA., CRMP.

The keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. Dian Agustia, M.Si., Ak., CA., CMA., ASEAN CPA, Chairman of IAI KAPd and an academic at Universitas Airlangga, emphasized the role of accounting in building trust in sustainability information.

Prof. Dr. Dian Agustia, M.Si., Ak., introduced the concept of “Trust Architecture for Inclusive SDGs”, which consists of measure, govern, include, innovate, and assure. She also presented research on carbon emissions transparency, governance, risk management committees, and the quality of oversight in addressing environmental risks.

The economic and management perspective was presented by Prof. Dr. Siti Mujanah, MBA., Ph.D., who discussed sustainable development amid changes in the business environment.

This international forum featured five international invited speakers from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, and Indonesia. They were Prof. Jay Pee B. Ilacas, Asst. Prof. Dr. Shubham Pathak, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamarudin Othman, Ahmad Ridwan, Ph.D., and Dr. Heny Sidanti, S.E., M.M.

The 8th SIMBA involved 291 FEB UNIPMA students as presenters, 316 internal participants, and 17 articles from other higher education institutions in Indonesia. Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology from the Philippines also participated.

The Chair of the Organizing Committee and Chief Executive of The 8th SIMBA, Sendy Dwi Haryanto, S.Pd., M.A., CSRS., CSRA., Cert.DA., said that the forum provided students with an opportunity to test their ideas through presentations and receive feedback from academics from different countries. “The forum serves as a platform for students to present their ideas, defend their arguments, and receive feedback,” he said.

Further collaboration is directed toward joint research, joint publications, student mobility, guest lectures, and community engagement. Participants also received five Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, while the best articles have the opportunity to be published in SINTA 4-accredited journals, namely FISCAL, CAPITAL, and INVENTORY.