As part of the series of events in The 20th IRSA International Conference, the organizing committee conducted a preconference training session on Saturday and Sunday, July 12–13, 2025. This activity aimed to equip participants with essential knowledge aligned with the main themes of the conference through a series of short training courses. In this regard, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Universitas Diponegoro, served as both the local organizing committee and the host for the preconference training.
The training featured three topics delivered by different speakers. The first session, “Introduction to Quasi-Experiment Policy Impact Evaluation,” was led by Dr. Sarah Dong (Australian National University). The second training, “Regional Interdependence and Development: A Spatial Econometric Approach to Spillovers and Contagion,” was presented by Prof. Firmansyah, Ph.D., Moh. Najikhul Fajri, S.E., M.SE., and Mohamad Egi Destiartono, S.E., M.SE. (all from Universitas Diponegoro). The third session, titled “Spatial Modelling for Urban and Regional Growth and Economic Analysis,” was delivered by Dr. Anang Wahyu Sejati (Universitas Diponegoro) and I Gusti Agung Made Andika Wiratmaja, M.PWK (Wiratama Geocreative).
All three sessions were held concurrently over two days at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, attended by participants from various institutions and countries. The total number of attendees across the three trainings was 78, with the session led by Dr. Sarah Dong attracting the highest number of participants (32 people). Each training session was practice-based, encouraging participants to actively engage in hands-on activities throughout the class. The event was also open to non-conference participants.
Beyond equipping participants with analytical and technical skills, the training served as a valuable networking platform. Despite its short duration, the program is expected to boost participant enthusiasm for the upcoming IRSA 2025 conference and foster future collaborations between the Department of Urban and Regional Planning – Faculty of Engineering and other units at Universitas Diponegoro with various stakeholders.
