The APRU Tech Policy Hackathon 2025, co-led and architected by Dr. Nicholas Mac Gregor Garcia, the Co-Director of NUS FinTech Lab, is a first-of-its-kind program on Leveraging AI and Data for Inclusive Growth & AI Resilience.
Over several months, organisers built a new platform that convened Google, Data.org, and 15 leading Asia-Pacific universities to address three urgent verticals: financial inclusion, digital trust, and responsible AI for social impact.
The Bangkok finale brought together 12 interdisciplinary student teams who prototyped policy-grounded AI solutions; ranging from inclusive insurance for smallholder farmers and fisherfolk to trustworthy digital identity for migrant workers and underbanked communities.
"For me, the most rewarding part was seeing student teams succeed at developing policy-grounded solutions, and knowing that success was possible because we mobilized cross-sector partnerships, curated a diverse mentor network, and built a capstone model that let them stress-test AI against real policy contexts."
Link to the event: APRU Tech Policy Hackathon 2025 – APRU
