The ASEAN Foundation, in collaboration with SAP, recently held the ninth ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ASEAN DSE) 2025 Regional Finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, uniting 22 young innovators from across the ten ASEAN Member States. Armed with data-driven insights and powered by SAP Analytics Cloud, these students presented creative solutions addressing key socio-economic challenges aligned with six UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Clean Water and Sanitation and Climate Action.
This year’s top honor went to Team DataMinions from Lao PDR for their Namjai Smart Water Tank—a tech-driven system that filters and detects harmful substances in water while alerting communities and authorities. Team Mamamamoodeng from Thailand and Team MyKXLab from Malaysia placed first and second runner-up, respectively. Representing the Philippines, Team Sharksfin from Ateneo de Manila University introduced HydroLink, a two-part groundwater monitoring and data-sharing platform addressing water contamination across ASEAN.
Beyond competition, ASEAN DSE continues to serve as a transformative learning platform, equipping youth with critical data analytics and digital skills to meet the region’s evolving workforce demands. Since its launch in 2017, the program has empowered over 111,000 young people and engaged 3,300 educators, with women making up 55% of participants.
“The ASEAN DSE programme nurtures young talents to think critically and innovate for real-world problems,” said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation. Liher Urbizu, President and Managing Director of SAP Southeast Asia, echoed this: “Our collaboration with ASEAN Foundation reflects our shared mission—to build a digitally skilled generation ready to lead Southeast Asia into a smarter, more sustainable future.”
