By Sim YH
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, NOV 22 – In an effort to provide a platform for researchers and innovative entrepreneurs to present their ideas to a panel of industry experts, the Office of Industry Engagement and Enterprise Development (IEED), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) held a competition Startup Induction Grant (SIG) Pitching at Inspiring Hub, UBD, yesterday.
The competition is designed to foster entrepreneurship and innovation, provide valuable feedback and access to seed funding to participating groups and further strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem within the university.
The Deputy Director of Enterprise Ecosystem Development, Dr Annie Dayani Ahad in her welcome speech, emphasized that the UBD Strategic Entrepreneurship Action Plan was formulated to produce more high-quality graduate entrepreneurs while equipping them with important entrepreneurial skills through a 16-week incubation program.
He also highlighted the importance of fostering resilience and innovative thinking among students, which is essential for success in today’s competitive business landscape.
The competition featured a group of participants selected through a rigorous internal evaluation during INCUFEST 2024 which was held last November 4 to 7.
It includes students from the Discovery Year Incubation Program, students from the School of Digital Science (ZC 4202 module) and academic researchers from various faculties.
The competition featured two categories viz Pre-Seed which awarded 6 grants totaling $300 each to Hijrah, Hasil, BlueWave, SmartFresh, NetJaga and Hyperchart groups.
Meanwhile, categories Seeds awarded 3 grants totaling $1,000 each to the SmartFresh, NetJaga and Hasil groups.
The event also featured leaders from the business and technology sectors in its panel of judges. Also present during the competition was the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Industry Engagement and Enterprise Development), Dr Haji Masairol Haji Masri.
Competition SIG Pitching which reflects UBD’s commitment in fostering innovation and entrepreneurial talent through empowering students and researchers in turning their visionary ideas into meaningful endeavors, contributing to the economic and technological progress of Brunei Darussalam.
