As Deputy Director of the Enterprise Office (EO) at Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB), I have been actively involved in strengthening the University's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem by creating pathways that transform student ideas into real-world technologies and sustainable businesses.
One of the key initiatives introduced through the Enterprise Office is the integration of engineering education with innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship. Rather than allowing Final Year Projects (FYP) and Group Design Projects (GDP) to conclude as academic assessments, the initiative encourages high-potential projects to continue their journey beyond graduation through product development, startup creation, and industry engagement.
This initiative has demonstrated that student engineering projects can evolve into commercially viable products and technology-based enterprises when supported by structured mentorship, technical guidance, innovation funding, and business development.
Through continuous mentoring and collaboration, two student-led startups were successfully established:
Tech4Horizon focuses on Engineering Education Technologies, Embedded Systems, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Design Thinking, and STEM training programmes. The startup develops educational technologies and learning platforms such as the Psychoboard Embedded Systems Learning Platform, while delivering professional training for schools, higher education institutions, and industry.
Achievements include:
Winner, Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) Startup Category
APICTA Merit Award
Development and commercialization of Psychoboard
Delivery of STEM, AI, IoT, Robotics, and Design Thinking training programmes
Seven Co. originated from engineering product design and rapid prototyping activities before expanding into multidisciplinary engineering solutions. The company now focuses on:
Smart Healthcare IoT Solutions
Embedded Systems Development
Product Design and Engineering Consultancy
3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping
Drone Technologies
Smart Agriculture Solutions
Engineering Training and Technical Consultancy
One of its flagship innovations, the InfuSense Smart IV Monitoring System, was successfully developed from a student engineering project and later recognised as the Startup673 Winner, demonstrating the commercial potential of university-based innovation.
Beyond startup creation, the initiative contributes to developing a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem within the University by connecting students, researchers, industry partners, government agencies, investors, and entrepreneurs.
The ecosystem supports:
Student Entrepreneurship Development
Product Design and Rapid Prototyping
Technology Commercialisation
Startup Incubation
Intellectual Property Development
Industry Collaboration
Engineering Consultancy
Professional Technical Training
Research Translation and Societal Impact
Through this ecosystem, students are empowered not only to graduate as engineers but also to become innovators, technology entrepreneurs, and future industry leaders capable of creating employment opportunities and contributing to national economic diversification.
The long-term vision is to establish a sustainable university innovation ecosystem where every high-impact engineering project has the opportunity to progress beyond the classroom into commercially viable technologies, startup companies, and industry partnerships. By bridging engineering education, research, enterprise, and commercialization, this initiative aims to transform academic innovation into real-world solutions that generate economic value, societal impact, and future technology leaders.