SAS Institute and partners announced the winners of the Talent Innovation Data Innovation Malaysia x DOSM Datathon 2023.

SAS Institute, in collaboration with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), announced the winners of the Data Innovation Talent Malaysia x DOSM Datathon 2023. The event, themed ‘Smart Data Powers Malaysia’s Future’, aims to foster data innovation skills among universities.

Kebangsan University of Malaysia, Asia Pacific University and Nottingham University of Malaysia won the first, second and third places respectively. A total of 400 participants, grouped into 100 teams from 19 universities, participated to analyze and address complex issues specific to Malaysia and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Professor T. Dr. Hariani Haroon, Assistant Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics (UiTM), emphasized the importance of innovative data analysis and real-world problem solving in curricular activities. Bank Negara Malaysia emphasized on supporting and developing the analytical talent pool to grow Malaysia’s technology and achieve the goals of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Mr Zouridi Zainul Abidin, Director of the Institute of Statistical Education Malaysia, DOSM, praised the talent showcased at the event and emphasized the need to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of data analytics. Queenie Wong, director of client consulting at SAS Institute, predicted that the data analytics market in Malaysia will reach $1.9 billion by 2025. He praised the data analytical skills of the students which he believes will significantly help in creating a technologically advanced economy.

The winning teams presented projects that tackled concerns of food security, income inequality and environmental pollution. They represented the faculties of Science and Technology, Computing and Mathematical Sciences from their universities, respectively.