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By Md Haque Noor Alam

GOMBAK, 21 March 2018: IIUM team “ImpactRays”, which became champion at regional level Hult Prize competition held in Kuala Lumpur recently, has been selected to represent IIUM at the final round of the competition, expected to be held in New York later this year.

Team “ImpactRays” consists of Abdulazeez Uba Muhammad, Faisal Sani Bala and Badamasi Imam Ya’u of Kulliyyah of Engineering.

The Hult Prize, established in 2010 by Bertil Hult, is an annual competition which brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe to solve world’s most pressing issues through pitching of ideas. The competition is the biggest and most prestigious start-up event in the world and awards millions of dollars in investment capital to young budding entrepreneurs, including a grand prize of USD1 million.

About 750 universities are participating in Hult Prize competition this year. Every year a new challenge is presented and the 2018 challenge is “Harnessing the Power of Energy”.

“ImpactRays” became champion in the campus round of Hult Prize competition held in IIUM last December. Organised by the IIUM World Debate and Oratory Centre (IWON), the team was selected to represent IIUM at the regional level competition.

The regional level championship held in Kuala Lumpur on March 17 was one of the 15 global semi-final rounds before the winning teams proceed to the final round in New York. The winners of the regional level are expected to participate in an accelerator programme in Asheridge Castle (UK) to help build their ideas for the final round.

Organising committee member of Hult Prize regional competition, who is also a Communication and Information Technology student, Sheikh Rifath Riaz Biku, said, “The Kuala Lumpur event was one of the biggest regional championships among the 15, there were more than 200 participants, and around 55 teams from more than 30 countries participated.”

“It was amazing when I heard that our university was announced as the winner. I am really proud of the team. I wish them best of luck for their participation in Hult impact forum in London,” Sheikh Rifath added.

A total of 55 teams competed at the regional level and top six teams were selected by 20 judges for the final round which will be held in New York. The teams were from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan; Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia; National Chengchi University, China; Melbourne Business School, Australia; Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh, and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

Among the six teams which were selected for the final round, IIUM team emerged as champion.***

Read more: http://news.iium.edu.my/2018/0...