The Ministry of Religious Affairs is steering the Annual International Conference on Islam, Science, and Society (AICIS+) to become a space for collaboration in answering community problems. By bringing together Islamic studies, science, and the social sciences, the forum is expected to encourage research that is relevant to environmental challenges, technological developments, and even the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Director General of Islamic Education Amien Suyitno affirmed that broadening AICIS+'s scope has a substantive purpose: connecting different areas of expertise so that universities can make wider contributions to society.

"Why did we have to make an AICIS that does not only talk about Islamic Studies, but also science, society, and social studies? Today is the era of collaboration. We cannot live alone," Suyitno said at the Pre-AICIS+ Roadshow at Jakarta State University (UNJ) on Monday, November 9, 2026, in Jakarta.

In his view, the problems communities face are increasingly interconnected. Climate change and environmental damage, for example, require contributions from science and technology as well as an understanding of social behavior and religious values.

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics also opens room for Islamic studies to contribute, especially in responding to ethical and humanitarian issues. For this reason, Islamic scholarship needs to keep being contextualized through dialogue with other disciplines.

In this context, AICIS+ plays a role in bringing together academics who have so far worked within their own fields. The meeting of different perspectives is expected to open research and community service collaborations that can answer problems more comprehensively.

"We can no longer talk about scholarship independently. Whatever our field, it depends greatly on other people's fields if we want to grow and develop," Suyitno stressed.

He emphasized that benefit to society must be the direction of scholarly development. Research and academic activities need to go beyond fulfilling administrative obligations or lecturers' promotion interests.

"Whatever we do must have impact, must be impactful. The research must be impactful, the community service must also be impactful, and so must the teaching and lectures," he said.

Director of Islamic Higher Education Sahiron said AICIS+ 2026 has received about 3,400 abstracts from 21 countries. This level of participation opens opportunities to bring ideas together and build research networks across countries and disciplines.

However, most abstract submitters still come from state and private Islamic higher education institutions. For this reason, the roadshow at UNJ is a step toward broadening the involvement of general universities so that the range of participants matches the scholarly development of AICIS+.

"At the Ministry of Religious Affairs there is a program for integrating religious knowledge with other fields, such as STEM and the social sciences. Through AICIS+, we want to open broader space for collaboration among academics from various disciplines," Sahiron explained.

One area of collaboration that emerged at the forum was integrating ethics into science education. Hadi Nasbey presented the development of the Dilemma-STEAM program at UNJ's Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), which opens opportunities for religious studies to contribute to sustainability-oriented science learning.

"Education is the foundation of a more equal life. Science education is also the basis for a sustainable life. Through developing the Dilemma-STEAM program, ethical values can be integrated and religious studies have room to contribute," he explained.

Hadi also stressed the need for human verification of information generated by AI when it is used in education. The discussion shows a meeting point among technology development, learning practice, and ethical responsibility.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Hakam said social science approaches can enrich Islamic studies in understanding religious and social phenomena, including new problems arising from technological development.

"Studying Islam is not limited to studying theology. There are many other aspects that can be studied, including through social science approaches. As times change, Islamic scholarship must also develop to respond to new problems, such as the ethics of using technology," he said.

Suyitno urged the UNJ academic community to strengthen synergy with Islamic higher education institutions. Through AICIS+, academic networks are expected to grow into research, teaching, and community service collaborations whose benefits society can feel.

"The mark of a scientist is that every product they produce brings impact and benefit to many people," he concluded.