On the 8th of March 2023, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) attended the launching ceremony of Hong Kong (HK) Tech 300 Southeast Asia Startup competition hosted by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) at the Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
A signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between City University of Hongkong (CityU) and Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) also took place at the event. On behalf of CityU, the MOU was signed by Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Vice President (Research and Technology), witnessed by Sunny Lee Wai-Kwong, Vice President (Administration) while Professor Dr Mohd Ayub Sadiq, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Innovation and Enterprise), signed on behalf of UBD, witnessed by Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Global Affairs). Also present were Professor Way Kuo, President and University Distinguished Professor, CityU; Emeritus Professor Dato Dr Morshidi Sirat, Higher Education Adviser to Malaysia’s Minister of Higher Education; as well as also senior officers from the Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Chulalongkorn University, Xiamen University Malaysia, Malaysia-China Business Council and Chambers, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC).
CityU is recognised as a hub for innovation in teaching and research, and as one of the fastest-growing universities in the world with a commitment to promoting knowledge and contributing to society. And HK Tech 300: Venture Beyond Boundaries is a large-scale flagship initiative in innovation and entrepreneurship launched by CityU for aspiring entrepreneurs among students, alumni, research staffs and others to establish startups and ignite their entrepreneurship journey. With the success of the programme established in Hong Kong in 2021 and HK Tech 300 National Startup Competition in mainland China in 2022, CityU is expanding the programme to Southeast Asia with the HK Tech 300 Southeast Asia Startup Competition to promote technological development in the region
At the launch, 14 HK Tech 300 startups showcased their technological ideas spanning from biotechnology products to Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, sustainable solutions to Financial Technology (finTech). The final round of the competition will be announced in November 2023. The HK Tech 300 Southeast Asia Startup Competition programme focuses on digital innovations and deep technology, with the goal of strengthening closer ties between the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems in Hong Kong and the region. HK Tech 300 aspires to be the “No 1 university-based entprepreneurship programme in Asia” with the support of CityU Hong Kong’s strong capabilities in scientific research and technology. In the QS World University Rankings 2023, CityU is rated 54th.
At UBD, the Office of Assistant Vice Chancellor Innovation and Enterprise (OAVCIE) oversees Enterpreneurship Village (EV) and the UBD Startup Centre (USC), which are dedicated platforms that stimulate innovation, support aspiring entrepreneurs, and nurture the growth of startups. These centres provide various initiatives and resources such as incubation workshops, accelerator programs, mentorship, and advisory services, to create an ecosystem that encourages innovation, facilitates collaboration, and provides comprehensive support to entrepreneurs and early-stage startups.
The MOU thus serves as a framework for both universities, including Universiti Malaya and Chulalongkorn University, to collaborate in the areas of technology transfer and commercialisation, business matching, co-investment, local support and coaching as well as facilities through the HK Tech 300 Southeast Asia Startup Competition. This MOU demonstrates UBD’s commitment to innovation and an enterprising generation.