Beyond prototyping: regional collaboration for innovators moving to the next stage

In this blog, Hazlina Selamat shares how regional collaboration in the LIFting AI project has benefited AI innovators and how this type of collaboration can be replicated in other sectors.  

The LIFting AI project aims to equip AI innovators in the South East Asia region with the knowledge and skills to systematically prepare and develop their AI solutions from ideation to markets and how to effectively market their products and solutions domestically and internationally.

Here from project lead Hazlina Selamet on where the idea for the project came from, the value she has seen in LIF alumni collaborating across region and advice she shares with others wanting to do a similar thing:

Can you tell us where the idea for your project came from?

The idea came from my observation that so many innovations produced by universities are stuck at the prototype level, either because the inventors are not confident or have limited knowledge on how to bring the innovations to the next level towards commercialisation.

What value have you seen in LIF alumni collaborating across regions?

LIF alumni can play a key role for in making collaboration happen by bring various parties and networks together. The team members in the project – from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam – were very committed throughout the project. Their participation has enabled connections, not only between LIF alumni companies across the region but also between companies invited to do the sharing sessions.

What barriers currently exist for regional collaboration and how do you think members of the LIF community can help each other? 

I think today’s communication technology has made the barriers seem insignificant. What matters is that all team members are committed to the success of the program. I was extremely lucky that most team members are very committed to this and each member brought in their valuable connections which made the learning experience more exciting.

How has your project enabled LIF alumni to collaborate more effectively?

I made new friends during the program. All of us came from a different LIF cohort and met for the first time during our first meeting. I suppose because we understood the importance of what we are doing and bringing to the projects it made our communications and the collaborations easier.

What’s next for you and the LIFting AI team?

We are thinking of packaging the program into a training program that can be used for training of other groups of people as has brought a very positive impact. However, this time round the team members can be one of the coaches or trainers. We want to improve and repeat the program because I think it is quite unique. In particular, participants are very pleased with how we match them with industries specific to their innovations so they received relevant and useful feedbacks and help them create new connections with the industries that they pitched to.

Do you have any advice to share with LIF alumni who might want to set up a similar initiative that promotes regional collaboration?

I think the best thing is to find team members that are ready to contribute and commit to a such program. This is important as good teamwork is key to a successful program. Find ways to maximise each other’s connections and encourage participations from all the countries you’re working with!

To find out more about LIFting AI or connect with Hazlina, contact her: [email protected]