SEMS 2019 Enables Students to Experience Crucial Entrepreneurship Processes

Mohamad Norisham Mohamad Rosdi

Skudai – More than 300 UTM students participated in the inaugural Sustainable Entrepreneurial Mindset Showcase 2019 (SEMS 2019) organized by UTM Centre for Student Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (UTM XCITE), UTM Office of Undergraduate Studies and Kolej Tuanku Canselor’s Student Council on 22^nd of April 2019. The event was held at Dewan Astana, Kolej Tuanku Canselor (KTC) and Division of Innovation, UTM XCITE.

Sixty-two products based on fourteen United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were showcased during the event. Every group was given 10 minutes to pitch and demonstrate their innovations to judges from industry as well as academic. The purpose of the event was to expose UTM students to entrepreneurial activities, which included the vital processes of validating ideas and prototype development.

One of the participants of SEMS demonstrated his prototype to the judges during evaluation session

“SEMS is the initiative of the Office of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) in bringing entrepreneurship course (UHAK) one step to a new paradigm based on sustainable development. The main objective of SEMS is to guide UHAK students through lecturer’s guidance to identify innovative ideas and technology as well as developing prototype”, said Prof. Ir. Dr. Zainuddin Abd Manan, UTM Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic and Internationalization.

BB Care, a group from the School of Mechanical Engineering, with their product IoT Portable Fetal Monitoring System, won the first-prize, bringing home RM400 and a medal of achievement as well as certificate of appreciation. They were supervised by Dr. Mohd Khairuddin Ramliy (AHIBS). Feeders, a group from the School of Computing supervised by Dr Azurah A. Samah (SC), with their product Cat2Feed won second place while third prize went to Y-Not from the Faculty of Science with their product S’ Bags. S’ Bags was supervised by Dr Mahadi bin Bahari (AHIBS).

The closing ceremony was attended and officiated by Prof. Ir. Dr. Zainuddin Abd Manan, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) UTM and also attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohd Zaidi Abd Rozan, Director of UTM XCITE, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Intan Zaurah Binti Mat Darus, Deputy Chairman of UTM Office of Undergraduate Studies, and Madam Rafidah Binti Mohamad, a representative from Kolej Tuanku Canselor.

Photo session with all the participants.

Based on UTM XCITE agenda, the winner of SEMS will be enrolling into advanced programs to scaffold and specifically reinforce their prototype and business model.