Curtin Malaysia student leads team to national recognition

MIRI : Turning agricultural waste into economic opportunity has earned Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) Energy Engineering student Loon Kai Qian national recognition, after he led Team Rising Hornbill to a Top 5 finish in the University Research and Innovation Investment Summit (URIIS) Student Business Innovation Challenge 2026.

The team’s innovation, SawitBridge, is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven industrial symbiosis platform designed to connect Malaysia’s independent palm oil smallholders with buyers of agricultural waste.

By linking waste producers with potential buyers, the platform aims to transform underutilised by-products into additional income opportunities while supporting greater transparency and sustainability across the palm oil industry.

Driven by an interest in innovation that dates back to his secondary school days, Loon has consistently sought opportunities to test his ideas and challenge himself through competitions.

When he came across the URIIS challenge on Curtin Malaysia student email, he took the initiative to bring together a team of like-minded undergraduate students from different universities to develop a solution to an industry challenge.

Team Rising Hornbill comprised five students with diverse academic backgrounds, including Energy Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Psychology.

The team brought together students from different universities, including the leader, Loon Kai Qian from Curtin Malaysia; three from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, namely Adrina Wong Wei Ni, Leonard Wong Yu Rui and Yong Jin Rong; and one from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Rita Lee Ziting, combining their different perspectives and expertise to develop SawitBridge.

Following a competitive screening process, the team advanced to the Grand Finale at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, where it secured a place among the competition’s five best teams nationwide.

For Loon, the experience was about more than the final result. It offered an opportunity to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and build trust across disciplines and institutions.

“It was about the deep discussions, reflections, debates, and the trust we built along the way. While the result is wonderful, the true outcome lies in the lasting connections we forged as a team,” he said.

Loon’s achievement reflects Curtin Malaysia’s commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation with real-world impact.

By encouraging students to apply their knowledge to industry and community challenges, the university continues to empower future graduates to develop solutions that create economic, environmental and social value.

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