KOTA KINABALU: Attractive prizes including a RM250,000 in a conditional grant are up for grabs for participants of the 2020 MYHackathon here.
The final registration for the competition is taking place today.
MyHackathon is a nationwide series organised by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, with Cradle Fund as the main sponsor and Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCEIC) as its strategic partner.
The Kota Kinabalu series of hackathon which is themed "Rakyat Produktif" is aimed at encouraging Sabahans to put their innovation skills to the test in co-creating digital solutions that would help improve key public services delivery.
Cradle Group chief executive officer Rafiza Ghazali, in a statement, said the focus of the Kota Kinabalu hackathon was to enhance national productivity through simplifying and streamlining government services to increase productivity.
"Participants will pitch digital solutions to problem statements that are related to job seekers, halal certification, training programmes that match the needs of the industry, and Big Data for the agriculture sector," she said.
The hackathon is divided into two categories - Sprint and Marathon. In each category, participants can participate in teams of two to five persons.
Rafiza said the objective of participants registering for the Marathon category should be centred on solving the government's problem statements.
She said the main goal would be to improve people's lives across the country through digital solutions as well as enriching the ecosystem and development of technopreneurs.
"After a nationwide study conducted by Mampu (Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Planning Unit), we have identified over 100 problem statements based on real-life situations and issues.
"Through the 2020 MYHackathon, we not only hope to improve the people's quality of life but raising the spirit of altruism and cultivate innovation as well, whether in the urban or rural areas."
Meanwhile, SCEIC general manager Viviantie Sarjuni said they were assisting Cradle Fund to gain more participation among Sabahans and become the bridge between tech startups, entrepreneurs in Sabah and the 2020 MyHackathon.
"Sabah is huge and we are confident there are many talented minds out there. We just need to encourage them to refine the solutions by participating in competitions like this.
"We hope to uncover more innovative and creative tech solutions from the grassroots. The Covid-19 pandemic has in a way forced us to think out of the box and find solutions to pressing issues in our community."
Through such competitions, she said SCEIC hoped to nurture the working relationship between the private sector, government, higher learning institutions and non-governmental organisations in driving the agenda of innovation, technology and creativity.
Registration is currently open for Sabahans at https://myhackathon.com.my.