SawitBridge idea propels five S’wakians into Top 5 at Malaysia student innovation challenge

By DayakDaily Team

MIRI, Sept 25: An idea to turn underutilised oil palm waste into a new source of income has propelled five Sarawakian university students into the Top 5 National Finalists of the URIIS Student Business Innovation Challenge 2026.

Their brainchild, SawitBridge, is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Industrial Symbiosis platform that connects independent oil palm smallholders with agricultural waste buyers, creating a bridge between waste and new economic opportunities.

Leading Rising Hornbill is Curtin University Malaysia Energy Engineering student Loon Kai Qian, joined by Swinburne University of Technology Chemical Engineering students Adrina Wong Wei Ni and Leonard Wong Yu Rui, as well as Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Yong Jin Rong.

Also part of the team is Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Psychology student Rita Lee Ziting.

According to a Champs Education statement yesterday (Sept 24), as reported by TVS, Rising Hornbill secured its place in the Top 5 after successfully clearing the national-level proposal evaluation and presentation stages.

The team will now advance to the Grand Finale at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.

SawitBridge aims to turn underutilised agricultural waste into an additional income stream for oil palm smallholders while promoting more transparent and sustainable practices by connecting them with agricultural waste buyers

Team leader Loon said the platform’s strength was also shaped by the team’s multidisciplinary composition, bringing together expertise in energy, chemical, electrical and electronic engineering, and psychology.

He said this allowed the team to combine technical development with a deeper understanding of real-world challenges that could affect technology adoption among smallholder communities.

“This is more than just a competition for us. It is about the discussions, reflections, debates and trust we built throughout this journey.

“The outcome is not the whole story, but the relationships we built as a team,” he said.

The achievement highlights how students from different academic disciplines can come together to develop solutions that combine technology, sustainability and community needs.

The national-level student business innovation competition is organised by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. — DayakDaily

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