APICTA Awards 2025 opens in Taiwan

The Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2025 opened on Friday (December 5) in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, bringing together delegations from across 12 economies for one of the Asia-Pacific region’s largest platforms for ICT innovation, competition and collaboration.
 
The four-day event is being jointly organised by Taiwan’s Digital Industry Development Administration and the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance.
 
This year’s theme – “Kaohsiung Takes Flight, Connecting the Indo-Pacific, Sailing Towards the World” – underscores the organisers’ ambition to deepen regional technology cooperation and link Indo-Pacific innovators more closely with global markets.

More than 200 teams are competing at APICTA 2025, presenting 256 innovation-focused projects. Entries span a wide range of sectors, including artificial intelligence, cyber security, education technology and health innovation, alongside other emerging digital fields.

In her opening address, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Hou Yi-Hsiu said the APICTA Awards represent both international recognition of Taiwan’s technological capabilities and a fresh gateway to regional cooperation.
 
She said the event is helping to build “a strong innovation ecosystem” by bringing together industry leaders, academic researchers and policymakers under one roof, adding that this mix of perspectives is vital for turning new ideas into practical solutions.

Asia Pacific ICT Alliance international president Fulvio Inserra told participants that the rapid uptake of artificial intelligence and smart technologies across member economies is driving a new wave of innovation in the region.

He said the high level of participation this year shows the Indo-Pacific is emerging as one of the key hubs of global technological growth.

Bangladesh’s presence at the APICTA Awards 2025 has drawn particular attention. Twenty projects from the country have been nominated for this year’s competition, representing a mix of start-ups, university-based research teams and organisations involved in technology-driven innovation.

The breadth of participation highlights the diversity, creative capacity and steady advancement of Bangladesh’s ICT sector.

Almost 50 delegates are attending from Bangladesh, reflecting the sector’s expansion, the growing skills of its technology workforce, and the country’s determination to play a more visible role on the global innovation stage.

The Bangladeshi delegation is led by APICTA executive committee member Syed Almas Kabir, a veteran figure in the country’s ICT industry and an active proponent of stronger regional cooperation. Under his leadership, the team has focused on building networks, sharing knowledge and exploring new partnership opportunities with counterparts from other economies.

For the first time, the APICTA programme this year includes dedicated team presentations, formal business matchmaking sessions and the unveiling of new initiatives alongside the core awards competition.

According to the organisers, these additions are intended to open up more immediate pathways for collaboration and investment among participating economies, turning the four-day gathering into a springboard for longer-term regional projects.