The Doctoral Student Association of Economics, Universitas Airlangga successfully held a Doctoral Scientific Discussion (DID) with the theme "Data Exploration for Economic Research" on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. The event took place online via Zoom from 09.00 to 12.00 WIB and was enthusiastically attended by 27 participants from various universities, namely Universitas Airlangga (Unair), Surabaya State University (Unesa), Diponegoro University (Undip), and the University of 17 August 1945 (Untag).

In this forum, participants gained a comprehensive understanding of economic and social data sources that serve as primary references for economic research. The material presented covered various important databases, including the National Socioeconomic Survey (SUSENAS), the National Labor Force Survey (SAKERNAS), Village Potential Survey (PODES), the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (SDKI), the World Development Indicators (WDI), and the Indonesia Database for Policy and Economic Research (INDODAPOER).

The presenters emphasized the importance of utilizing this data to support evidence-based economic research. Participants gained not only theoretical insight into the structure and characteristics of each data source but also practical insights from the experiences of academics and researchers in processing this data to address development issues.

In addition to enhancing methodological insights, this forum also served as a platform for expanding academic networks among doctoral students and researchers from various universities. The interactive discussions created a space for potential collaboration in economic research. With the success of this event, the Unair Economics Doctoral Student Association hopes that the DID forum will continue to be a sustainable platform for enriching data literacy, strengthening research collaboration, and supporting the development of economics relevant to the nation's needs.