The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) has been shortlisted as a finalist in four categories at the EdTech Innovation Hub (ETIH) Innovation Awards 2026, recognising APRU’s commitment in empowering students with the knowledge, practical experience, and leadership skills needed to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges. The recognition also underscores APRU’s wider contribution to advancing inclusive innovation and strengthening digital capability across diverse societies in the Asia-Pacific region.
The recognition highlights the impact of the APRU Tech Policy Hackathon 2025, an interdisciplinary initiative that gives students the opportunity to apply technology, policy, and research skills to real-world issues through applied learning and cross-border. By bringing together universities, industry leaders, policymakers, civil society, and supporting partners including data.org and Google, the hackathon creates a platform where students can build experience, test ideas, and develop solutions with relevance beyond the classroom.
The ETIH Innovation Awards recognise organisations and initiatives delivering meaningful impact across education, skills development, and workforce transformation. This year’s programme attracted more than 140 entries from around the world, reflecting the growing role of technology in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital learning, student engagement, career readiness, and lifelong learning. Shortlisted entries were assessed based on innovation, adoption, and evidence of real-world impact.
APRU is shortlisted in the following categories:
- Best Student Engagement and Assessment Tool
- Best Digital Learning Platform for Higher Education
- Best Use of EdTech in Higher Education
- Best Global Impact
Winners will be announced on May 11, 2026.
Advancing Inclusive Innovation Across the Asia-Pacific
Digital transformation presents significant opportunities to improve economic participation, strengthen public services, and expand access to education and employment. However, uneven adoption of digital technologies and disparities in access to infrastructure, skills, and policy frameworks continue to create gaps between and within societies.
The APRU Tech Policy Hackathon 2025, held in Bangkok, Thailand, was designed to address these challenges by empowering students to develop technology-enabled policy solutions that respond to real societal needs, particularly in underserved communities across Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
The initiative encourages students to design solutions that are not only innovative, but also practical, scalable, and aligned with public policy priorities. By focusing on issues such as financial inclusion, digital trust, workforce adaptation, and equitable access to emerging technologies, the hackathon supports APRU’s broader mission to strengthen cooperation across academia, industry, and government in addressing shared regional challenges.
Through this approach, APRU contributes to building capacity across multiple societies, supporting the development of solutions that can improve digital participation and enable more inclusive growth.
A Regional Platform Connecting Talent, Policy, and Innovation
The 2025 hackathon drew strong global participation, with 299 students from 40 universities across 15 economies submitting 70 project proposals that address real-world policy challenges shaped by artificial intelligence and data-driven technologies.
From this pool, 12 finalist teams comprised of 56 students from 14 universities across nine economies were selected to participate in the final round in Bangkok.
Students worked in interdisciplinary teams spanning fields such as computer science, economics, public policy, law, and data science, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of technological and regulatory challenges. Project themes addressed regional priorities including digital poverty, online safety, support for micro, small, and medium enterprises, financial inclusion, workforce readiness, and the development of trusted digital ecosystems.
Supported by mentors from academia, government agencies, industry, and international organisations, students developed policy briefs and prototype solutions demonstrating practical applications of AI and data science in addressing complex societal issues.
This multi-stakeholder approach reflects APRU’s role as a “super connector”, linking institutions and communities to foster innovation that is grounded in real societal needs and informed by diverse regional perspectives.
Recognition by the ETIH Innovation Awards
The ETIH Innovation Awards recognise initiatives that demonstrate measurable progress in transforming education through technology, particularly those that improve access to learning, strengthen engagement, and support future workforce readiness.
The Best Global Impact Award recognises initiatives that transform education in underserved or global communities, with emphasis on improving equitable access to learning and delivering measurable outcomes at scale.
The Best Digital Learning Platform for Higher Education category recognises structured and effective digital learning environments that provide a clear end-to-end learning journey supported by relevant knowledge resources and measurable learning outcomes.
The Best Student Engagement and Assessment Tool category recognises initiatives that demonstrate strong participation and evaluation frameworks, including mechanisms that support interaction, mentorship, feedback loops, and measurable performance indicators.
The Best Use of EdTech in Higher Education catagory celebrates a university or higher education institution that has embedded edtech in a way that transforms the student or faculty experience.
Being shortlisted for the ETIH Innovation Awards reflects the strength of the APRU Tech Policy Hackathon as a digital learning initiative that integrates mentorship, collaboration tools, and structured evaluation into a cohesive learning experience. It demonstrates the growing importance of interdisciplinary, applied approaches that connect academic knowledge with real-world impact.
Students benefit from milestone-based development and iterative feedback, enabling them to refine ideas through evidence-based analysis while strengthening critical thinking, communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.
Preparing Future Leaders for an Evolving Digital Society
As artificial intelligence and data-driven technologies continue to shape economic and social development, there is increasing demand for graduates who can understand both technical innovation and its broader societal implications.
Through initiatives such as the Tech Policy Hackathon, APRU supports the development of globally minded talent equipped to design solutions that balance innovation with responsibility.
By fostering collaboration across universities, industry partners, and policymakers, APRU continues to contribute to education models that strengthen workforce readiness while supporting inclusive and resilient digital ecosystems across the Asia-Pacific region.
Through sustained partnership and knowledge exchange, APRU remains committed to advancing innovation that benefits multiple societies and contributes to more equitable participation in the digital economy.
For more information about the APRU Tech Policy Hackathon 2025, please visit https://www.apru.org/event/apru-tech-policy-hackathon-2025/
For more information about the ETIH Innovation Awards 2026, please visit: https://www.edtechinnovationhub.com/etih-innovation-awards-2026/about-the-edtech-innovation-hub-awards-2026