KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 28 – The JACTIM International Research & Innovation Challenge 2026 brought together 132 participants across 52 research, innovation and industry internship projects, strengthening the long-standing Malaysia–Japan academia–industry partnership while opening the competition to wider international participation.

Organised by the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), with the support of the Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry, Malaysia (JACTIM), the competition was held in conjunction with the Malaysia–Japan Industrial & Innovation Expo 2026 (MJIIX 2026) at UTM Kuala Lumpur.

The competition carries a legacy dating back to 2012, when it was known as the JACTIM Innovative Products Competition. For 2026, the programme was repositioned as an international platform to broaden cross-border knowledge exchange, collaboration and industry-oriented innovation, while continuing to strengthen the relationship between MJIIT, UTM and JACTIM.

Held under the theme “Industry 5.0: Smart, Sustainable & Human-Centric Technologies”, the competition focused on practical and human-centred solutions across manufacturing and automation, digital systems, green technology, energy, smart cities and mobility.

A total of 46 research and innovation projects involving 126 participant entries from 14 institutions competed across the Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Team categories. The entries included institutions from Malaysia and Indonesia, with UTM contributing 22 projects, alongside the German-Malaysian Institute (GMI), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) and other Malaysian higher education institutions.

A distinctive feature of the 2026 edition was its emphasis on industry readiness. Participants were expected to demonstrate prototype readiness, potential industrial application, market relevance, feasibility and commercialisation potential, enabling research ideas to be assessed in terms of both academic merit and their capacity for implementation.

The industry connection was further strengthened through a dedicated Industry Internship Award track involving six projects undertaken with Ueda Plating (M) Sdn. Bhd., Nippon Electric Glass (M) Sdn. Bhd., Organo (Asia) Sdn. Bhd. and Sony EMCS Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. The projects addressed company-specific challenges ranging from water treatment and defect prediction to inspection systems, maintenance planning and process-control improvements.

The evaluation reflected the same academia–industry philosophy, with 29 judges representing universities, industry, government, research organisations and Malaysia–Japan partner organisations assessing the Research & Innovation Challenge, while a separate three-member panel evaluated the Industry Internship Awards. 

Among the major winners, Wong Lap Heng of Methodist College Kuala Lumpur received the Undergraduate Gold Award for Punchcard Pro, while Vikneshvaran Tanabalam of UTM received the Postgraduate Gold Award for the Eco-Integrated Azolla-Tilapia System. The Team Gold Award went to TEAM5 from the GMI for Cybercopilot: an AI-Powered Multi-Vector Threat Analyzer.

The competition also recognised a Special Award and five Industry Internship Award recipients, with each of the five main award recipients receiving RM3,000 for projects developed through industry engagements.

Beyond the awards, the 2026 edition demonstrated how university research, student innovation and industry problem-solving can be connected within a single platform, creating opportunities for further research, industry collaboration, technology validation, adoption and commercialisation.