As already stated, USU has established a 2020-2024 Strategic Plan which aims to provide development direction so that the achievement process is more optimal. In the Strategic Plan, there are 44 work programs. Part of this work program is very much in line with WCU's priority program objectives. Some of these programs will be proposed for funding from the WCU grant. The activities of the proposed program will be adjusted to the amount of funds provided and the need for additional funds will be provided by the University of North Sumatra. After the team conducted a number of discussions, it was agreed to propose 8 work programs in the 2020-2024 USU Strategic Plan to receive funding from the WCU Program. The work program is as follows:
- USU institutional brand awareness
- Continuous career development
- Writing a review type journal article (state of the art)
- International collaborative research with PT in 500 QS WUR
- Collaborative research with PT WCU grant recipients of the Ministry of Education and Culture
- Rewards for outstanding researchers
- Acceleration of lecturers to continue their doctoral education
- Bringing foreign lecturers
- Providing doctoral scholarships for foreign students
Each program that will be proposed will contribute to each parameter that is in QS WUR and QS AUR. The mapping of the relationship between the proposed work program and each parameter that is in QS WUR and QS AUR is shown in Figure 2. In the figure, 6 parameters are owned by WUR and 11 parameters that are owned by AUR. The greatest weight for each ranking is Academic Reputation, where the QS WUR has a weight of 40% and the QS AUR has a weight of 30%. The proposed programs make a major contribution to this parameter. A total of 7 of the programs submitted contributed to Academic Reputation.