The world’s largest congress, the World Engineering, Science and Technology Congress (ESTCON) 2020, officially concluded today with a virtual closing ceremony by YBhg Datuk Ir Ts. Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Secretary General.
The congress saw an impressive turnout with more than 1,000 experts from academic fraternity, industry as well as government and non-government organisations from around 30 countries, despite it being organised virtually for the first time since its inauguration in 2010.
A Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) flagship event, ESTCON2020 comprised nine international conferences held concurrently. The congress provided a platform to connect, share knowledge and learn about the most recent innovation, trends, concerns and solutions adopted by key players around the globe.
The sixth edition of the congress with the theme “Science, Technology and Humanities: Reinventing the Future” encompassed a wide range of fields in engineering, technology innovation and humanities to address issues and trends as well as seek innovative solutions and methods in forging a sustainable future for the next generation.
“ESTCON2020 has been a force to be reckoned with when it comes to resonating the ideas and aspirations of industries and academics with regards to science, technology and humanities. Through ESTCON2020, we were able to catch a glimpse of what we could do more of and how we can contribute to this new era in this unprecedented time. I am indeed encouraged by UTP’s efforts to initiate this platform that promotes collaboration among industry leaders, higher institutions and the governments which in turn will step up and seek opportunities to forge a sustainable future for generations to come,” said YBhg. Datuk Ir Ts. Dr Siti Hamisah.
”As ESTCON2020 ends, I believe we all have the same aspiration in reinventing the future of Science, Technology & Humanities. During these three days, we see the possibility of these dreams becoming reality. The pandemic has hit hard for all of us, and we need to undergo changes that will decide our survival in the future. There is, indeed, plenty to reflect upon and, if this in any way enhances our individual and collective contributions/ to meeting the global challenges, then the congress can truly be considered a success,” said UTP Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic and ESTCON2020 Co-Chairman Professor Ir Dr Hilmi Mukhtar.
ESTCON2020 was co-organised by the Alliance of Government-Linked Universities, supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), and was held in collaboration with PETRONAS, Yayasan UTP and Malaysia Board of Technologists. The opening of ESTCON2020 was officiated by the Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad on 13 July 2021.
The congress featured 5 prominent and engaging keynote speakers, 18 plenary speakers and 3 forums with 13 panellists. Another feature of the congress was the virtual exhibition which ran concurrently with the conferences, where industry players from corporations and various industries showcased their products, services and latest innovations.
The main sponsors for ESTCON2020 were Dialog Group Berhad, Schlumberger, Transwater, Creative Minds, Uzma Berhad, NeuDimension, Maybank, Patentsworth International, Techsource Systems and Telekom Malaysia. Bernama and New Malaysia were the media partners while Springer was the publication partner.
The next ESTCON is scheduled to be held in 2022.
