The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) MBA Program and HKUST Entrepreneurship Center, in collaboration with two leading European student organizations, Erasmus AI Society and MAIN (Maastricht AI & Tech Network), recently concluded the AI Hackathon and Symposium. The event was strongly supported by Hong Kong Talent Engage under the Labour and Welfare Bureau of the HKSAR Government and featured as a flagship event of the Hong Kong AI Summit 2026.
The event brought together 550 outstanding students from 16 top universities across Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to exchange ideas, foster collaboration and explore the frontiers of AI technology. In a 24-hour extreme test of innovation, teamwork and endurance, participating teams were challenged to leverage AI technology to conceptualize innovative solutions for real-world business cases. Ultimately, 56 teams successfully developed working product prototypes and demo videos within the stipulated timeframe, fully demonstrating the practical capabilities and innovative potential of next-generation talent.
Bringing together students, industry partners and mentors from Europe and Asia, the AI Hackathon and Symposium highlighted Hong Kong's role as an international hub for innovation, education and talent exchange. Although nearly six in ten participants identified themselves as AI beginners at registration, they demonstrated remarkable learning agility through a two-day series of expert-led workshops and dedicated mentorship from HKUST MBA alumni and members of the HKUST MBA Tech & AI Innovation Club. Many participants progressed from possessing only a foundational understanding of AI to successfully developing practical applications solutions with real-world value.
The hackathon received strong support from industry partners including WeLab Bank (WeLab), Capco, bolttech, CLP Group (CLP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which collectively presented five real-world business challenges. The participating companies also deployed professional teams to mentor students throughout the product development process and serve on the judging process. Students developed AI solutions spanning retail banking, wealth management, insurance, energy and entrepreneurship. The ten finalist teams then pitched their innovative solutions live before a panel of industry leaders.
Prof. Stephen SHIH, Associate Dean of MBA Programs at the HKUST Business School, emphasized that the event fully demonstrated the fruits of international teamwork. He said: "AI is indeed a powerful tool, but the power of team collaboration remains irreplaceable. The core value of this event lies in breaking geographical boundaries and bringing together students from Europe and Asia to co-organize this cross-continental AI hackathon and symposium. By working side by side to address real-world industry challenges, participants demonstrated how innovation can transcend borders. HKUST MBA remains committed to hosting similar initiatives and providing an international platform where global talent can learn from one another and innovate together."
Reflecting HKUST MBA Program's focus on nurturing students to drive international collaboration, three MBA students worked closely alongside organizing committee members from the Erasmus AI Society and MAIN to deliver the event. Derek CHEUNG, MBA student at HKUST said: "Our challenge partners generously shared the pressing pain points facing their organizations and clients, and the students embraced those problems as their own." Manon THURIES, MBA student at HKUST added: "Europe and Asia have continuously discussed deepening AI collaboration. Through this hackathon, students transformed these grand concepts into meaningful action."
Prof. Fred MUTTO, Adjunct Associate Professor of the Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management at HKUST and an expert on sustainability and business, said, "AI is at the core of Hong Kong's technological development. In less than 24 hours, participating students delivered solutions with practical application value, delivering an impressive performance. Our faculty strongly supports this experiential learning approach, where students collaborate with industry to truly integrate learning with practice, rather than being limited to classroom theoretical study."
Following intense competition, the judging panel selected one winning team in each of the five challenge tracks. Four winning teams received cash prizes, while the winner of the Venture Launch track was awarded AWS cloud service credits and a valuable opportunity to join the Microsoft Student Ambassadors programme.
List of Award winners
Smart Banking Award
Winning team: HKUST
Challenge Partner: Welab
Wealth Innovation Award
Winning team: Cross-university team (HKUST, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Maastricht University, and the University of Bristol)
Challenge Partner: Capco
Insurance Reinvention Award
Winning team: HKUST
Challenge Partner: bolttech
Future Energy Award
Winning team: HKUST
Challenge Partner: CLP
Venture Launch Award
Winning team: City University of Hong Kong
Challenge Partner: AWS
