UCD Innovation Academy led a two-day Smart Cities Makerthon for 110 students selected from 35 Higher Education Institutions across Malaysia as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Community Summit that took place in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in from 11th – 13th December 2017.
The event saw 110 students working intensively in fifteen teams to tackle areas relevant to Smart Cities and Smart Communities and develop prototype solutions to challenges that they had identified. Minister for Higher Education, Dato Seri Idris Bin Jusoh paid a visit to the Makerthon to meet with students and to share his insights.
Following a semi-final round of pitching their prototype ideas, five teams were selected to proceed to the final and the top three received awards from the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education, Tan Sri Dr Nooral Ainur Mohd Nur. The event was covered by Bernama News.
The initiative is part of an ongoing collaboration between UCD Innovation Academy and the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia. UCD Innovation Academy is the international partner for the Entrepreneurial Educator Enhancement Initiative (3EP) which aims to upskill 1500 Academic staff across Malaysia by 2020 as part of the drive to foster entrepreneurial mindsets in all learners, a key part of the National Blueprint for Higher Education 2015-2025.