Loke Rui Kee, a Bachelor of Computer Science (Bioinformatics) student at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), and her diverse team comprising Ananya Varshney from Nanyang Technological University, Fadl Sadiq Darwis from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, and Chaiyawut Seechalee from National Cheng Kung University, achieved a significant milestone by securing the Silver Award in the SATU Mobility Action For Regional Talent (SMART) 2023 5th International Innovation Competition. Their innovative project, Agrosynex, stood out in the competition’s theme of revolutionizing sustainability through life sciences.
Organized by the Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU) Presidents’ Forum, the competition attracted 38 teams from SATU member universities across 10 countries. Team Agrosynex emerged as one of the six finalist teams after an intensive ideation and solution-building period from August 9 to October 5. The culmination of their efforts occurred during the final demo pitch on November 4, 2023, where they secured the Silver Award along with a prize of USD 1000.
Agrosynex, a mobile application platform developed by the multidisciplinary team, aims to assist landowners in agriculture ventures. The project aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 2, focusing on achieving food security and sustainable agriculture by optimizing arable land usage in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The success of Team Agrosynex was celebrated at the SATU SMART 2023 Award Ceremony, held online during the SATU Presidents’ Forum 2023 Steering Committee Meeting and General Assembly. Hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay on November 17, 2023, in Mumbai, India, this recognition not only honors the team members but also underscores the commitment of their respective universities to fostering innovative and socially impactful projects.