The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Bank Negara Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and SAS Institute Awards Datathon Winners in 2023

Winning teams from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (1st prize, centre), Asia Pacific University (2nd prize, left) and University of Nottingham Malaysia (3rd prize, right) 

SAS, the leader in AI and analytics, has partnered with The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Bank Negara Malaysia  (BNM) to announce the winners of the Malaysia Data Innovation Talent x DOSM Datathon 2023, themed ‘Smart Data Empower Malaysia’s Future’. 

With the objective of cultivating data innovation skills among universities, the data hackathon (datathon) saw 400 participants forming 100 teams from 19 universities competing to analyse and address complex issues specific to Malaysia and aligned with selected Sustainable Development Goals. The top 10 teams presented in a live pitching session, with the top three winning projects addressing food security concerns, income inequality and environmental pollutants (refer to annex).

“The bi-annual datathon is in line with our UiTM 2025 Strategic Plan to proactively respond to changes, developments and current needs such as the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) and the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030. This event plays an integral part in cultivating analytics innovation and exposing our students to working on real-world data and solving current societal challenges,” said Prof. Ts. Dr. Haryani Haron Assistant Vice Chancellor, College of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics (KPPIM), UiTM.

“The need to support and develop our analytics talent pool is a core focus for us, as we look to drive Malaysia's digital transformation and build its technological capabilities to support the Fourth Industrial Revolution mandate. We are proud of the enthusiasm and talents showcased at this datathon and we look forward to seeing more passionate skilled data scientists joining the industry,” said Mr. Zuraidy Zainal Abidin, Director Malaysia Statistical Training Institute, Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

“According to IDC, the big data analytics market in Malaysia is expected to grow to US$1.9 billion in 2025. However, demand for data analytics continues to outstrip current supply. Being part of this datathon demonstrates our commitment to invest in analytics education, and to support Malaysia’s progress as a data-driven nation. We are impressed by the data analytical skills that the students demonstrated, going beyond technical skills to deeper critical thinking and collaboration. These skills are crucial for Malaysia’s workforce as we achieve our goals of becoming a technologically advanced economy,” said Queenie Wong, Director, Customer Advisory (ASEAN), SAS.

ANNEX: Winners

• 1^st prize winner:
  
  • Team Rookie Patchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Faculty of Science and Technology)
  • Project: Food For Thought: Decoding Malaysia’s Future in Food Security
• 2^nd prize winner:
  
  • Team the Guys from Asia Pacific University (School of Computing, Faculty of Computing)
  • Project: A Comprehensive Analysis between Poverty and Economic Inequality, and The Factors Contributing to Economic Inequality for Informed Policy Development
• 3^rd prize winner:
  
  • Team LionHearts from University of Nottingham Malaysia (School of Mathematical Sciences)
  • Project: Breathing in Malaysia: An In-Depth Analysis of Pollutant Origins, Contributors & Impacts in Malaysia

About UiTM

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) is the largest comprehensive university in Malaysia providing innovative education with state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology within reach at its 34 campuses, 4 colleges of studies, 14 faculties, and 9 academic centres all over the country. 

UiTM offers over 500 academic programmes at Foundation, Pre-Diploma, Diploma, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD levels, as well as Professional Programmes. It continues to expand access to higher education, playing its role in nation-building by unleashing potentials and shaping the future.

Amongst its long list of recent accolades, UiTM is ranked 104th in the QS Asia University Rankings 2023, placed 555 in the QS World University Rankings 2024, and was ranked 361-380 for QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2023 and 4th in Malaysia. The Hospitality and Leisure Management subject was placed 42nd best in the world, and overall, 13 UiTM subjects are ranked in the QS World University Rankings by Subject. Moreover, UiTM was in the 101-200th position in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023 and is the proud recipient of the 3G SDGs Championship Award 2022. In June 2022, UiTM  received the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Gold Award for the 12th time in the public university category and for the first time, UiTM was bestowed The BrandLaureate BestBrands Awards 2022.

With over 700,000 alumni in science, technology, humanities, and entrepreneurship, UiTM offers opportunities to shape leaders at national, industry, and global levels and is well poised to become a globally renowned university by 2025.