Ignite, Inspire, Innovate: NUS-ISS spotlights possibilities and impact for the next phase of AI transformation while strengthening support for SMEs at its Annual Luncheon

The event celebrates partnership milestones, learners' journeys and highlights NUS-ISS' industry-wide focus on AI transformation, alongside initiatives such as the Show Me Your Agents Hackathon and ALPS programme to help SMEs address real business challenges.

SINGAPORE, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NUS-ISS is strengthening its efforts to support industries and organisations as they navigate the next phase of AI transformation, while expanding practical support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to turn business challenges into actionable solutions.

These efforts were spotlighted at the NUS-ISS Annual Luncheon 2026, themed "IGNITE. INSPIRE. INNOVATE." held at Conrad Singapore Orchard and graced by Guest-of-Honour Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education & Ministry of National Development. The event brought together industry partners, alumni, learners, and staff to reflect on the institute's milestones and look ahead to a world where AI is reshaping both work and leadership.

Turning business challenges into AI solutions

A key highlight was the prize presentation for the NUS-ISS Show Me Your Agents Hackathon. Powered by AWS and supported by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), the hackathon challenged SMEs, students, professionals, start-ups and technology enthusiasts to develop AI agent-powered solutions to real business problems. A total of 440 participants across 114 teams took part, with 10 finalist teams pitching their solutions at the Finale Demo Day on 10 October 2026.

The winners are:

	SME category	Public category
1st prize	Team Name: Team Interns Mr Sim Yong En Ivan Ms Caroline Goh Qian Hui Ms Chee Lexi Ms Tan Jianzhen	Team Name: Questbond Ms Fang Xinyi Ms T. Keerthi Reddy Mr Pavan Nagur Ms Wu Yushan

SME category

Public category

1st prize

Team Name: Team Interns
Mr Sim Yong En Ivan

Ms Caroline Goh Qian Hui

Ms Chee Lexi

Ms Tan Jianzhen
 

Team Name: Questbond

Ms Fang Xinyi

Ms T. Keerthi Reddy

Mr Pavan Nagur

Ms Wu Yushan

Special awards sponsored by SBF went to Team: MOSS (SME Ready Award), Team: AI've Got This (Best Agents Use Award) and Team: Binary Beast (Social Impact Award).

More information on the hackathon is available in the accompanying media factsheet.

NUS-ISS is also piloting the Active Learning for Problem Solving (ALPS) programme with SBF member companies to help businesses move from recognising the need for transformation to identifying what they can do next.  Working with their own organisational challenges, business leaders are guided to rethink existing approaches, develop potential solutions and move promising ideas towards pilot-ready implementation.

Together, the Show Me Your Agents Hackathon and ALPS provide complementary pathways for SMEs to experiment with new technologies and apply them to real business needs. They form part of NUS-ISS' broader work with industry to build the capabilities organisations need as AI becomes increasingly embedded in operations, decision-making and value creation.

Building AI-ready capabilities through industry partnerships

Long-standing industry partnerships are also translating learning into workplace capabilities.

Through its partnership with NUS-ISS, which began in 2019, NCS employees have completed 1,706 Graduate Certificates, enabling them to progressively build new capabilities while applying their learning on the job. In 2026, 68 NCS employees were conferred the Master of Technology in Software Engineering or Enterprise Business Analytics.

Since 2025, ST Engineering has trained more than 800 employees through its partnership with NUS-ISS, contributing to its goal of expanding its pool of AI engineers and developers from 2,000 to 5,000 over the next two years. The NUS-ISS programme equips ST Engineering engineers with AI capabilities to augment their deep domain expertise so as to scale innovation and solutions that address real-world customer needs. It remains fully subscribed each month, reflecting sustained demand for these capabilities.

NUS-ISS is also expanding its learning pathways as technology reshapes professional roles. Its new part-time Master of Science in Enterprise Digital Technology Management will welcome its first intake in 2027. The programme is a fully stackable pathway for technology management professionals to bridge business strategy and technical implementation.

"The question for organisations is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to make it work for their people and their business," said Mr Khoong Chan Meng, Chief Executive Officer of NUS-ISS. "As AI continues to evolve, organisations will need both the technology capabilities and the people capabilities to use it meaningfully. At the same time, we recognise that SMEs may face different challenges in making transformation happen. Through initiatives such as the Hackathon and ALPS, alongside our continued partnerships with the industry and new learning pathways, we want to provide practical opportunities for businesses to experiment, solve real problems and translate ideas into meaningful outcomes".

About National University of Singapore (NUS)

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 15 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established about 15 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.

Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.

For more information on NUS, please visit nus.edu.sg.

About NUS-ISS

Established in 1981, NUS-ISS nurtures digital talent for the industry through graduate education, executive education programmes, consultancy, applied research, and career services. NUS-ISS guides individuals and organisations to bridge future opportunities through a unique portfolio of multiple learning pathways such as blended learning and stackable programmes, leading the way in shaping the next curve of digital excellence. It offers a wide spectrum of programmes in critical industry disciplines, such as digital leadership, software development, data science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, product management, smart health and digital innovation.

To date, close to 216,000 digital leaders and professionals from across 8,854 corporate client organisations, and 10,059 graduate programmes alumni have benefitted from NUS-ISS' suite of services. Its programmes are delivered by NUS-ISS staff with an average of more than 20 years of industry experience and supported by a strong network of partners. NUS-ISS also works with industry partners and associations locally and globally to co-create a digital learning ecosystem that inspires and shapes solutions for the digital economy.

For more information visit, www.iss.nus.edu.sg

Show Me Your Agents Hackathon – Media Fact Sheet

The NUS-ISS Show Me Your Agents Hackathon is an open innovation competition that aims to bridge the gap between agentic AI and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore. It is organised by NUS-ISS, powered by AWS, and supported by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). 

The hackathon runs in two categories: SME and Public. Ten finalist teams – five per category – pitched at Finale Demo Day on Saturday, 10 October 2026. Winners will be announced at the NUS-ISS Annual Luncheon on 19 October 2026.

The objectives 

• Encourage the practical application of agentic AI to address real SME business challenges.
• Empower Singapore SMEs to explore AI-driven productivity and business transformation opportunities
• Develop pilot-ready prototypes that can be adopted, adapted, and built upon beyond the hackathon

The challenge

Teams will design, build and pitch AI agent-powered solutions to six categories of SME business problem statements curated in advance and revealed at the kickoff briefing.

The six categories are:

• Administrative automation
• Customer service 
• Sales and marketing 
• Supply chain and operations 
• Knowledge management 
• AI assistants 

The solutions developed will be judged based on seven categories:

• Relevance to SME needs
• Feasibility to deploy or pilot
• Secure and responsible design
• Sound technical architecture
• Effective use of agentic AI
• Measurable business impact
• Clear, structured and compelling presentation

Who can join

Category	SME	Public
Who	SME owners, employees or official representatives solving their own business challenge	Students, researchers, startups, professionals and tech enthusiasts not representing an SME
Team size	2 to 4 members, at least one with technical skills	4 members
Problem	Their own SME's business challenge	Official SME problem statements shared at kickoff
Conditions	Annual turnover of S$100 million or less; proof of SME affiliation may be required	-

Category

SME

Public

Who

SME owners, employees or
official representatives solving
their own business challenge

Students, researchers, startups,
professionals and tech enthusiasts
not representing an SME

 

Team size

2 to 4 members, at least one
with technical skills

4 members

 

Problem

Their own SME's business
challenge

Official SME problem statements
shared at kickoff

 

Conditions

Annual turnover of S$100
million or less; proof of SME
affiliation may be required

-

 

The timeline

• 5 September: Kickoff session
• 7-25 September: Build phase
• 28 September: Final submission, with five teams per category being shortlisted 
• 10 October: Finale Demo Day, with 10 finalist teams pitching to judges
• 19 October: Prize presentation and showcase at the NUS-ISS Annual Luncheon 2026

Judges
Qualifying Round

Name	Designation	Organisation
Mr Calvin Chu	Partner, Strategy & Transactions	EY-Parthenon
Mr Kenneth Zhu	Managing Director and Head of Data Science	OCBC Bank
Ms Neha Kumar Saraf	Senior Director	Visa
Mr Wilson Wan	Delivery Lead	NTT
Dr Wang Yunlong	Senior Scientist and Group Manager	A*STAR

Name

Designation

Organisation

Mr Calvin Chu

Partner, Strategy &
Transactions

EY-Parthenon

Mr Kenneth Zhu

Managing Director and
Head of Data Science

OCBC Bank

Ms Neha Kumar Saraf

Senior Director

Visa

Mr Wilson Wan

Delivery Lead

NTT

Dr Wang Yunlong

Senior Scientist and Group
Manager

A*STAR

Finale Round

Name	Designation	Organisation
Ms Amy Huang	Director, Executive Education Programmes and Chief, Digital Products & Platforms Practice	NUS-ISS
Mr Vishesh Kumar	Head of Modernization & AI Transformation	AWS
Mr Lee Yee Fung	Chief Smart Technologies Officer	Singapore Business Federation
Mr Brandon Lee	Chief Futures Management Board	SWDA NUS-ISS
Mr Luis Carlos Cruz Huertas	Executive Director & Head of AI and Data Platforms, Group Transformation & Data	DBS Bank
Mr Shamir Rahim	Founder Management Board	VersaFleet NUS-ISS

Name

Designation

Organisation

Ms Amy Huang

Director, Executive
Education Programmes
and Chief, Digital Products
& Platforms Practice

NUS-ISS

Mr Vishesh Kumar

Head of Modernization &
AI Transformation

AWS

Mr Lee Yee Fung

Chief Smart Technologies
Officer

Singapore Business
Federation

Mr Brandon Lee

Chief Futures
Management Board

SWDA
NUS-ISS

Mr Luis Carlos Cruz
Huertas

Executive Director & Head
of AI and Data Platforms,
Group Transformation &
Data

DBS Bank

Mr Shamir Rahim

Founder
Management Board

VersaFleet
NUS-ISS

Participation Figures

	Public Teams	SME Teams	Total participation
Kickoff – 5 Sep	90	24	440
Final Submission – 28 Sep	54	10	64 teams 216 participants

Public Teams

SME Teams

Total participation

Kickoff – 5 Sep

90

24

440

Final Submission –
28 Sep

54

10

64 teams

216 participants

The Prizes

Each category (SME and Public) crowns its own top three.

Placing (per category)	Prize
1st	US$3,000 in AWS cloud credits
2nd	US$2,000 in AWS cloud credits
3rd	US$1,000 in AWS cloud credits

Placing (per category)

Prize

1st

US$3,000 in AWS cloud credits

2nd

US$2,000 in AWS cloud credits

3rd

US$1,000 in AWS cloud credits

 Special awards sponsored by SBF (cash prize of $1,000 each)

• SME Ready Award: the most deployment-ready solution in an SME context
• Best Agents Use Award: the most innovative and effective use of agentic AI
• Social Impact Award: the greatest potential benefit to community or society

The Results

	SME category	Public category
1st prize	Team Name: Team Interns Mr Sim Yong En Ivan Ms Caroline Goh Qian Hui Ms Chee Lexi Ms Tan Jianzhen	Team Name: Questbond   Ms Fang Xinyi Ms T. Keerthi Reddy Mr Pavan Nagur Ms Wu Yushan
2nd prize	Team Name: MOSS   Ms Jiang Zining Mr Chen Kaiwen Ms Ma Yuchen	Team Name: AI've Got This   Mr Deen Al Eusuf Mr Ng Yao Zhen Eugene Mr Khant Phone Sett Mr Lim Zhen Eu Damon
3rd prize	Team Name: Mintang   Mr Cui Zixuan Ms Dong Yufei Mr Liu Jingxuan Mr Luo Wenjie	Team Name: Binary Beasts   Mr Deniz Balakrishnan Mr Ries Joos Mr Lucas Chen Mr Christopher Chen

SME category

Public category

1st prize

Team Name: Team Interns

Mr Sim Yong En Ivan

Ms Caroline Goh Qian Hui

Ms Chee Lexi

Ms Tan Jianzhen

Team Name: Questbond

 

Ms Fang Xinyi

Ms T. Keerthi Reddy

Mr Pavan Nagur

Ms Wu Yushan

2nd prize

Team Name: MOSS

 

Ms Jiang Zining

Mr Chen Kaiwen

Ms Ma Yuchen

Team Name: AI've Got This

 

Mr Deen Al Eusuf

Mr Ng Yao Zhen Eugene

Mr Khant Phone Sett

Mr Lim Zhen Eu Damon

3rd prize

Team Name: Mintang

 

Mr Cui Zixuan

Ms Dong Yufei

Mr Liu Jingxuan

Mr Luo Wenjie

 

Team Name: Binary Beasts

 

Mr Deniz Balakrishnan

Mr Ries Joos

Mr Lucas Chen

Mr Christopher Chen

 

Special Awards

SME Ready Award   Team Name: MOSS Ms Jiang Zining Mr Chen Kaiwen Ms Ma Yuchen

Best Agents Use Award   Team Name: AI've Got This   Mr Deen Al Eusuf Mr Ng Yao Zhen Eugene Mr Khant Phone Sett Mr Lim Zhen Eu Damon

Social Impact Award   Team Name: Binary Beasts Mr Deniz Balakrishnan Mr Ries Joos Mr Lucas Chen Mr Christopher Chen

Special
Awards

SME Ready Award

 

Team Name: MOSS

Ms Jiang Zining

Mr Chen Kaiwen

Ms Ma Yuchen

 

Best Agents Use
Award

 

Team Name: AI've
Got This

 

Mr Deen Al Eusuf

Mr Ng Yao Zhen
Eugene

Mr Khant Phone Sett

Mr Lim Zhen Eu
Damon

Social Impact
Award

 

Team Name:
Binary Beasts

Mr Deniz
Balakrishnan

Mr Ries Joos

Mr Lucas Chen

Mr Christopher Chen

 

 

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Ignite, Inspire, Innovate: NUS-ISS spotlights possibilities and impact for the next phase of AI transformation while strengthening support for SMEs at its Annual Luncheon

HONG KONG, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its founding, the Hong Kong International Communications Electronic Chamber (HKICEC) has worked to strengthen Hong Kong's communications and electronics sector by uniting businesses across the city and the Greater Bay Area, pooling industry resources and opening new channels for trade and collaboration. The chamber's mission is to create a dynamic environment where suppliers, buyers and industry leaders can forge partnerships and pursue new opportunities. Crab2B, a pioneering B2B trading platform dedicated to mobile devices and digital products, made its debut at the chamber's inaugural trade show, held at AsiaWorld-Expo on October 18. Crab2B CEO Luo Yaohong, who serves as deputy secretary-general of HKICEC, has been actively involved in the chamber's industry development initiatives and welcomed the successful launch of the exhibition.

The HKICEC Global Mobile Exchange Pavilion opened on October 18 at AsiaWorld-Expo following months of extensive planning and preparation. The opening ceremony welcomed a distinguished gathering of government officials and industry leaders, including Dr. Starry Lee Wai-king, GBS, JP, member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and president of the Legislative Council; Zhu Xiaodong, director of the Kowloon District Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Dr. Cheung Kwok-kwan, SBS, JP, deputy secretary for justice of the HKSAR; Liu Maozhou, first-level inspector of the Economic and Financial Affairs Department II of the Liaison Office; Denny Ho, district officer for Kwun Tong of the Home Affairs Department; and Liu Fang, chief executive officer of Global Sources. More than 100 government and business representatives, industry leaders, local and international exhibitors, and members of the media attended the ceremony, reflecting strong industry interest in the development of Hong Kong's circular economy and the expansion of environmentally sustainable international trade in communications and electronics.

The show brought together communications and electronics suppliers and cross-border buyers from around the world, with a focus on the international trade in mobile devices and related electronics. Designed as a dedicated meeting place for the industry, the exhibition gave businesses an opportunity to connect with international buyers, explore new trade channels and forge partnerships that can drive future growth.

During the show, Legislative Council President Starry Lee Wai-king and Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan visited the Crab2B booth, where they learned more about the platform's business model, objectives and progress to date. Both spoke highly of Crab2B's approach to capitalizing on Hong Kong's strengths, drawing on the Greater Bay Area's resources and reaching global markets. They also recognized the platform's efforts to help local merchants expand internationally, streamline cross-border sourcing and create new momentum for digital trade.

HKICEC president Jacky Tse, permanent honorary president Huang Shaowu, chairman Huang Shunyong and supervisory board chairman Hong Jinhuang also stopped by for tea and a discussion with the Crab2B team about the company's future plans. They expressed their support for its continued development.

The show marks an important milestone in HKICEC's efforts to create a major industry gathering in Hong Kong and strengthen the international reach of the city's communications and electronics sector. The occasion also marked the official launch of the Crab2B app, introducing a dedicated B2B platform for mobile devices and electronics that helps buyers identify suitable suppliers and products and connects the Greater Bay Area's extensive supplier network with buyers worldwide.

Looking ahead, HKICEC will continue to bring together businesses and resources across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area while expanding its international trade network. Crab2B, for its part, will remain firmly rooted in Hong Kong, drawing on the chamber's extensive resources and industry relationships to further develop its app and expand its reach. Together, HKICEC and Crab2B aim to facilitate cross-border trade in mobile electronics, open new international markets for Hong Kong businesses and support the continued modernization of the city's communications and electronics industry. Their shared goal is to create lasting commercial opportunities and contribute to the sector's long-term growth.

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HKICEC Opens First Trade Show at AsiaWorld-Expo, Connecting Hong Kong's Communications and Electronics Industry with Global Markets

HKICEC Opens First Trade Show at AsiaWorld-Expo, Connecting Hong Kong's Communications and Electronics Industry with Global Markets

HKICEC Opens First Trade Show at AsiaWorld-Expo, Connecting Hong Kong's Communications and Electronics Industry with Global Markets

HKICEC Opens First Trade Show at AsiaWorld-Expo, Connecting Hong Kong's Communications and Electronics Industry with Global Markets