By Hazniyati Hassan, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Graduate Employability (UMT-GEM)

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) recently collaborated to organise FEAST 2.0, a platform bringing together and developing student entrepreneurial talent in the field of food security.

Held from 20 to 23 August at Hotel Permai and Pulau Redang, Terengganu, the programme brought together 35 teams from higher education institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia for various knowledge-sharing sessions.

With food security as its theme, FEAST 2.0 supported this agenda as a key aspiration for student businesses while providing students with opportunities to explore and develop their entrepreneurial potential.

Participants were guided through modules covering Entrepreneurial Support Ecosystems, Strategies for Commercialising Student Start-Up Ideas and Innovations, Human-Centred Design, Creative Thinking with AI, Start-Up Finance, Pitching, Digital Technology, and Intellectual Property.

The modules were delivered in collaboration with SME Corporation Malaysia, the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), and the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO).

These sessions provided participants with an opportunity to view their ideas not merely as projects, but as potential businesses that could be further developed and commercialised with the support and guidance of relevant agencies, said Associate Professor Dr Nor Fazliyana Mohtar, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Graduate Employability (UMT-GEM).

During the closing ceremony, the 35 teams that completed the programme were presented with certificates recognising their commitment, involvement, and dedication to developing ideas and entrepreneurial projects centred on food security.

Participants will continue developing their projects at their respective higher education institutions, leading up to the Final Presentation at the FEAST 2.0 Convention, scheduled for March 2027. The initiative aims to develop 35 student start-ups in the field of food security.

At the end of the programme, participants engaged in snorkelling, visited Turtle Point, and took part in activities with Hermie’s Hub, a UMT student start-up. These included a recycling and reuse programme and a demonstration on transforming waste materials into souvenirs.

The activities taught participants to appreciate the beauty of the local environment and heritage while fostering awareness of environmental sustainability, creativity, and the importance of developing solutions that create value for the community, said Dr Nor Fazliyana.

Student participant Isma Arrif Iskandar from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said he and his team members enjoyed the activities.

“We were very happy to gain new knowledge through the heritage appreciation session at Pulau Redang,” he said.