Twelve teams from Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) achieved outstanding results at the Southeast Asia Division Contest of the China International College Students' Innovation Competition (SEA-CICSIC) 2026 and the Malaysia-China Youth Innovation Competition (MCYIC) 2026, winning 2 Gold Prizes, 5 Silver Prizes, and 5 Bronze Prizes.

Organised by the Organizing Committee of the China International College Students' Innovation Competition, with Xiamen University and Xiamen University Malaysia serving as co-organisers, the Southeast Asia Division Contest attracted more than 2,054 projects from 11 Southeast Asian countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. The participating projects spanned a wide range of fields, including sustainable technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and social entrepreneurship.

Recognised as one of the world's largest innovation competitions for university students, the China International College Students' Innovation Competition has received more than 24.95 million project submissions and over 102.18 million participant entries since its launch in 2015. Since the introduction of its international track in 2017, the competition has attracted more than 50,000 international projects from over 150 countries and regions, providing a global platform for university students to showcase innovative ideas, strengthen cross-border collaboration, and translate innovation into practical solutions.

SEA-CICSIC Gold Prize-Winning Project:

Postgraduate Category

T-Shield: Revolutionary Bidirectional Active Shield Face Mask

Description: T-Shield is a next-generation bidirectional self-powered active-disinfecting face mask designed to transform respiratory protection through active neutralization of pathogens during both inhalation and exhalation instead of trapping them on filter surfaces. Unlike traditional masks, T-Shield features a reusable mask system with replaceable biodegradable filter cartridges, offering superior hygiene, lower long-term costs, reduced medical waste, and improved sustainability. Targeting hospitals, laboratories, industrial sectors, government healthcare procurement, and health-conscious consumers, T-Shield combines healthcare innovation with scalable commercialization potential and sustainable revenue generation in the rapidly growing PPE market.

Undergraduate Category

NeuraGO--Multimodal BCI-Controlled Smart Wheelchair with Safety Guard & AI Companionship

Description: The product targets individuals with ALS, high-level paraplegia, and severe disabilities lacking upper limb mobility. Its core buyers are middle-to-high-income families and premium rehabilitation centres that prioritise safety and dignity. It features multimodal control by utilising the internationally renowned Muse headband to fuse EEG, EMG, and SSVEP signals for precise hands-free navigation. Its asynchronous “task-level” control significantly minimises cognitive load, while radar and physiological monitoring enable auto-braking upon detecting fatigue or stress. The AI ecosystem, featuring an unobstructed transparent screen and AI Agent, enables smart-home control and emotional support.

SEA-CICSIC Silver Prize-Winning Project:

Postgraduate Category

RootIQ AgriBiologics

Description: RootIQ helps Southeast Asian farmers cut fertilizer waste, protect yields, and restore soil health. Our DAISY engine combines satellite, soil-sensor, and farm data to generate field-specific fertilizer reduction plans, Microbial Efficiency Scores, and targeted biofertilizer recommendations. Unlike standalone farm software or generic biofertilizers, RootIQ links geospatial AI with immobilized microbial consortia produced using fluidized-bed bioreactor and agricultural-residue technology. Target users include paddy, plantation, orchard, and smallholder farmers, plus cooperatives, agribusinesses, and carbon project developers. RootIQ won the Hult Prize 2026 Malaysia Nationals, reached the global Top 60 from 15,000 student startups, and is ready to scale pilots across Southeast Asia.

Undergraduate Category

GBC-3

Description: The GBC-3 Grain-Bacteria-Energy Triple Closed-Loop System is an original, full-chain and implementable innovative solution for the green and low-carbon transformation of modern agriculture, food security guarantee, and efficient utilization of biomass energy. Based on the core logic of grain planting – bacteria conversion – energy production – nutrient return to farmland, the project constructs a triple closed-loop system integrating agriculture, biology and energy. The whole process does not compete for food with humans, rely on fossil energy or generate waste pollutants, achieving carbon-neutral operation, energy self-sufficiency and 100% resource recycling. It is a benchmark project combining synthetic biology, smart agriculture, distributed new energy and rural revitalization.

DuriAce

Description: DuriAce is an AI-enabled durian grading and pricing system that helps users evaluate durian quality more accurately and transparently. It combines image recognition, 3D contour analysis, weight measurement, and gas-based maturity sensing to inspect durians without damaging them. The system provides maturity level, estimated flesh yield, quality grade, and suggested price, helping distributors, wholesalers, and retailers reduce subjective judgment and improve pricing decisions.

MindSight AI

Description: MindSight AI is an AI-driven VR mental healthcare platform that combines real-time eye-tracking, multimodal behavioral analysis, and reinforcement learning to deliver adaptive psychological assessment and intervention. Unlike traditional questionnaire-based methods, our system provides immersive, data-driven, and personalized cognitive support through continuous behavioral sensing and intelligent scene adaptation. Designed for universities, enterprises, medical institutions, and mental wellness programs, MindSight AI enables scalable early screening, stress assessment, and cognitive intervention while improving accessibility, engagement, and long-term mental healthcare outcomes across Asia.

Tospine Intelligent Posture Correction System

Description: The product is an intelligent posture correction system that integrates flexible sensing, edge computing, low-power IoT, and multi-sensor fusion technologies to provide stable and convenient posture monitoring. It balances comfort and practicality for daily wear, while offering high-accuracy posture recognition, fast response, personalised adaptation, and rapid user calibration. For privacy and compliance, the system operates through a fully offline AI data processing mode and complies with mainstream privacy regulations.

SEA-CICSIC Bronze Prize-Winning Project:

Undergraduate Category

HerWell Maternal Mental Health Care Platform Project

Description: HerWell is a digital health platform for maternal mental health, serving women during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. We integrate EPDS clinical screening, EMA real-time monitoring, TCM constitution assessment, and a smart wristband into a "Screening → Intervention → Companionship → Consultation → Family Support" closed loop via WeChat mini-program. Targeting 10–12 million annual perinatal women in China (14.7% postpartum depression rate), our tri-end B2B + B2C + B2G model serves mothers, family caregivers, and healthcare institutions. With full-cycle specialization, Tech + TCM + Empathy integration, and family-inclusive design, HerWell bridges the critical gap between hospital screening and accessible, destigmatized care.

EcoSphere Pod: A Smart Aquaponics Ecosystem

Description: EcoSphere Pod is a smart aquaponics ecosystem product designed for homes, schools, and commercial display spaces. It integrates an ornamental fish tank, hydroponic plant growth, ecological filtration, sensor monitoring, ESP32-based control, website/app data visualization, and AI-assisted analysis into a compact modular pod. Through the ecological interaction among fish, plants, nitrifying bacteria, shrimp, and substrate, the system supports water-quality stability, nutrient cycling, and low-maintenance operation. Users can monitor water conditions, receive maintenance reminders, and interact with the ecosystem through a digital platform. EcoSphere Pod aims to transform traditional complex aquaponics into a smart, sustainable, visually attractive, and user-friendly product for urban living.

Rubbrain: Intelligent Digital Twin Management System for Southeast  Asian Rubber Tapping and Planting

Description: Rubbrain is an innovative agricultural technology project featuring an intelligent management platform for rubber plantations that integrates IoT, Digital Twins, and AI Agent-driven automated tapping. It automates tapping with ±0.1 mm precision, reducing reliance on manual labor, while increasing latex yield by more than 15% and extending tree lifespan by over 5 years. By replacing high labor costs with a fixed investment, the system offers an estimated three-year payback period. The target users include Southeast Asian rubber smallholders, particularly aging operators and non-resident landowners, as well as medium-sized private plantations and cooperatives facing labor shortages.

i-BIS: Intelligent Biorefinery Systems for Invasive Species Mitigation 

Description: i-BIS converts Indonesia's invasive Suckermouth Catfish into pharmaceutical-grade chitosan ($35/kg) and organic fertilizer ($1.80/kg), transforming ecological crisis into profit while accessing a $2.20B market growing at 10.2% annually. AI computer vision detects fish, Graph Neural Networks map contamination, and predictive analytics optimize harvesting. Dual biosensors (ASV + NIR) ensure EU pharmaceutical compliance. Fishermen receive mobile app harvest guidance, pharmaceutical companies gain verified traceable materials, and government agencies access real-time contamination mapping—uniquely integrating invasive species control, premium production, AI safety verification, and environmental intelligence in one platform.

PrintFlow-X — An Affordable Smart Manufacturing Platform

Description: PrintFlow-X is an industrial robotic linked production line system designed to make automation more affordable for Malaysian SMEs and educational institutions. Conventional automated production lines are often expensive, highly customized and difficult to maintain, making them hard for smaller companies and schools to adopt. Compared with similar products in the same market direction, PrintFlow-X is estimated to reduce the cost by around 76%. This advantage comes from its cost-effective and modular design, integrating PLC control, robotics, conveyors, machine vision, AGV transportation and industrial communication. It helps SMEs upgrade production and provides schools with a practical platform for automation training, research and talent cultivation.