SDYIC Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Innovation Hubs and STEM Carnival for Students and Teachers 

Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), the philanthropic arm of Sime Darby Berhad, SD Guthrie Berhad and Sime Darby Property Berhad, marked a decade of nurturing young Malaysian innovators at the Sime Darby Young Innovators Challenge (SDYIC) 2025 National Championship and STEM Carnival, held at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). 

The celebration was officiated by YBhg Puan Sri Normah Hashim, Member of the YSD Governing Council, together with Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor, Trustee of the UKM–YSD Chair for Sustainability; Dr Hjh Yatela Zainal Abidin, Chief Executive Officer of YSD; Dr Kamaleswaran Jayarajah, Assistant Director of the Educational Planning and Research Division, Ministry of Education (MOE); Puan Nurul Nadiah Zulkipli, Assistant Director of Educational Technology and Resources Division, MOE; Prof Dr Zainuddin Sajuri, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, UKM; and Dr Chew Yen Seng, Chief Executive Officer of Chumbaka Sdn Bhd, alongside judges, mentors, teachers, students and distinguished guests. 

YBhg Puan Sri Normah Hashim, Member of the YSD Governing Council, said:  
 
“This tenth anniversary is more than a milestone for us and SDYIC—it is a powerful testament to the transformative potential of youth and education. When given trust, guidance, and opportunity, young Malaysians harness technology and creativity to make a real difference in their communities. We are proud that YSD has embarked on this journey—one that turns potential into purpose, and knowledge into meaningful action.” 

YSD has been collaborating with Chumbaka to design the core SDYIC learning journey, including programme content, tools, and training for teachers and undergraduate mentors. They also refine National Camp clinics to ensure activities stay practical and relevant. Since its 2016 launch, SDYIC has evolved from a competition into a national movement, bridging STEM education gaps for girls, rural schools, and underserved communities. Over the past decade, more than 29,000 individuals nationwide including students, teachers and undergraduate mentors, have taken part through a hybrid model of Train-the-Trainers (TTT) workshops, state-level Maker Fairs, towards a National Camp that culminates in the Grand Finale.  

Throughout the SDYIC 2025 National Camp and Grand Finale, business leaders from Sime Berhad, SD Guthrie Berhad and Sime Darby Property Berhad volunteered their time to provide feedback, share industry perspectives, inspire participants. In particular, Mr Syed Salehuddin Wafa, Head, Partnership & Experience, Sime Darby Property Berhad, not only joined the Grand Finale but also mentored three of the finalist teams, spending time with them to refine their ideas, sharpen their pitches and strengthen the real-world value of their solutions.  

This year’s edition brought together 15 finalist teams from 501 schools, including 101 rural schools, selected after 16 state Maker Fairs. Held at UKM’s Akademia Siber Teknopolis (AST) and Dewan Tun Abdullah Mohd Salleh, the 2025 theme “Help A Person, Change the World” captured the spirit of the programme’s tenth anniversary. YSD launched four Innovation Hubs in Sarawak, Sabah, Terengganu and Melaka, benefitting over 3,700 students and teachers through workshops, exhibitions and mentorship sessions. 

Sarawak’s SMK Lutong took the spotlight once again as Team HOPECORE clinched one of the three SDYIC 2025 Innovation Grants and the Best Presenter (Group) Award, continuing the state’s legacy of STEM excellence. Their project, Signify, is a web application that uses camera and AI technology to translate sign language into text and speech in real time, breaking communication barriers for the deaf community. This achievement builds on the school’s wider role in SDYIC – SMK Lutong also hosted the SDYIC 10th anniversary Innovation Hub in Sarawak, with the team’s teacher mentor serving as secretary of the organising committee.  

SMK Lutong previously won the 2018 Innovation Grant for The Beep, a radio-frequency device to reduce school traffic congestion and has since remained an active SDYIC champion in Sarawak, providing platform for surrounding schools to experience hands-on STEM learning and innovation. 
 
Joining HOPECORE were Team CYBERBLITZ from SMJK Jit Sin, Penang, with E-Vision – a smart wearable that reads text aloud and recognises objects to support safer, more independent mobility for persons  with visual impairments – and Team NEURAL INNOVATORS from Maktab Mahmud Alor Setar, Kedah, with Neural Alert, a wearable device that detects signs of microsleep in motorcyclist to help prevent accidents and keep riders safer on the road. 

 
The three winning teams received RM30,000 in total YSD Innovation Grants to refine and deploy their prototypes for community use by September 2026. The Favourite Innovation Award, decided by online voting, was awarded to Team PORTER BOT from MRSM Kota Putra, Terengganu, for its AI-enabled smart trolley that assists passengers with luggage at airports. 

For the first time in SDYIC history, YSD introduced the Special STEM Aspiration Catalyst Award, recognising teachers who inspire STEM movements within their schools and communities. Each recipient received funding of RM1,000 to advance STEM aspirations in their respective schools through activities that extend beyond the competition. 
 
The inaugural awards went to Teacher Puteri Nazatulsima binti Megat Zulkifle from SM Sains Tapah (Team Agronova), who aspires to build a STEM hub in the Tapah district to inspire schools serving Orang Asli communities, and Teacher Ammer Alarif from SMK Tinggi St David, Melaka (Team Skyblazers), whose teaching method channels students with disciplinary issues into STEM projects such as Agroscan – a mobile app that helps chilli farmers identify plant diseases and improve yields. 

A key highlight of the anniversary was the signing of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Chumbaka Sdn Bhd and PEMIMPIN GSL, witnessed by YSD, to integrate SDYIC’s STEM training modules into LADAP Plus — a teacher development platform developed by PEMIMPIN GSL with funding from YSD, recognised by the Ministry of Education for teacher training. This collaboration complements SDYIC’s existing presence on MOE’s DELIMa platform, ensuring that teachers can access hands-on STEM resources nationwide. 

The SDYIC 2025 STEM Carnival featured interactive booths by YSD partners including SD Guthrie Research, UKM-YSD Chair for Sustainability, Cancer Research Malaysia, OrphanCare Foundation, RIMAU, IDEAS Autism Centre, SareeUp and Nuvista Media’s Layar Liar series. Over 240 teachers and students from 14 schools – including those from Selangor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Kelantan – joined the carnival to explore how STEM connects to health, environment, arts and technology. 

Among these 14 schools were five Sekolah Angkat MADANI under the YSD REACH School Programme, supported by YSD’s three donor companies. Their participation, together with other schools from the Klang Valley, was made possible with the support of Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Selangor and Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Hulu Langat, which helped to strengthen school representation at the carnival. 

Building on a decade of impact, SDYIC will continue to expand its reach to rural and underserved communities, with 3,000 students and 400 schools targeted for the next cycle, alongside at least 50 percent female participation. In 2026, it planned for the challenge to source real problem statements from civil-service communities and pilot three student-built solutions in local settings. Teams interested in joining the 2026 cycle can register at https://younginnovators.my/ from 1 January until 30 April 2026 to enjoy the full SDYIC STEM experience.