Universiti Malaya concluded its three-day Undergraduate Ideas Festival (UM UG iFEST 2025) on June 26, showcasing 2,600 final year projects designed to bridge academia and industry. The festival recorded 8,400 minutes of simultaneous presentations with participation from 300 industry judges and support from over 180 organisations.
UM UG iFEST 2025 Showcases 2,600 Student Innovation Projects
Key Details
The festival, held from June 24-26, 2025, served as a platform for students to publicly exhibit their Final Year Projects (FYPs) and connect directly with industry professionals. According to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Noor Azuan Abu Osman, the event aimed to foster academia-industry collaboration towards a sustainable innovation ecosystem and enhance graduate employability through presentations and pitching sessions.
The programme featured the Industry Pay It Forward (iPIF) initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Graduate Employability and Career Centre (GECC), Student Affairs Department, and Talentbank. This initiative supported holistic career development through mentoring, interview simulations, and career talks involving 170 industry players.
The festival announced winners of the Best FYP Competition across three main categories:
- Social Sciences: Ezrie Ezmier Bin Amiruddin from the Faculty of Law with “The Final Cut: Exploring Censorship Disparity, Artistic Freedom, and the Rule of Law in the Malaysian Creative Industries”
- Science and Technology: Janting Anak Tingom from the Faculty of Engineering with “Performance Evaluation Of Palm Oil Clinker (POC) Powder As An Additive In Warm Mix Asphalt Design”
- Health Sciences: Tang Jiun Yoong from the Faculty of Pharmacy with “Synthesis Of Sulphonamide Chalcones As New Potential Anti-Dengue Inhibitors”
Quotes & Reactions
“This festival is more than just a showcase of outcomes. It is a bridge between academia and industry — an effort to close the gap between theory and practice,” said Prof. Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Noor Azuan Abu Osman. “This is the face of the future university: educating with knowledge, guiding with values, and moving forward together with society.”
Deputy Minister of Higher Education YB Datuk Ts. Mustapha Sakmud described the digital festival as “not merely an exhibition of ideas, but a platform to shape the future, cultivate talent, and provide solid proof that undergraduates have immense potential to drive meaningful and sustainable change.”
“The students’ research does not end here — all ideas and findings from the presentation sessions will be taken up by industry to help solve pressing national and global issues,” Mustapha Sakmud added.
Background & Context
The festival operated under the theme “Unleashing Ideas, Igniting Change,” reflecting Universiti Malaya’s commitment to nurturing innovation culture among students. According to organizers, the programme positions students not merely as learners, but as solution designers, strategic thinkers, and national change agents.
A forum on Commercialising Academic Research and an Industry–Research Nexus exhibition were held alongside the main presentations, serving as platforms to transform research outcomes into commercially viable products. The forum involved undergraduate students in alignment with the Ministry’s agenda to strengthen the national innovation ecosystem through active university-industry engagement.
What’s Next
The initiative supports the Ministry of Higher Education’s aspirations to enhance graduate employability and job placement rates in line with current market demands. Industry participants indicated they will evaluate student research findings for potential implementation in solving national and global challenges.
The festival’s networking component aimed to build professional and strategic relationships between students, researchers, and industry professionals, potentially leading to future collaboration opportunities and employment prospects for participating graduates.
