Age 10+
Research starts here
Curiosity · Research · Impact
Up to
RM5,000
per team
150
teams
Proposal deadline
11 November 2026
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Curiosity · Research · Impact
Young ideas.
Real impact.
Grants, mentors and real labs for Sarawak students aged 10–18.
Application Intake is currently OPEN
Closes 11 November 2026
10+
Starting age
Up to RM5,000
Research grant per team
3
Regional hubs
6 months
Hands-on research
Built for bold beginnings
One idea.
One idea.
Everything to grow it.
SRDC BrightSparX connects school teams to the people, places and funding that turn curiosity into credible research.
Up to RM5,000 per team
Research grant for materials, testing and prototypes.
Real lab access
Kuching · Sibu · Miri
Expert mentors
Industry and academic guidance.
150 teams
A state-wide research cohort.
Five ways to shape tomorrow
Choose your research frontier.
Real Sarawak challenges. Your team’s point of view.
01
Translational Biotech
Nature into useful solutions.
02
Health Science
Better care, closer to home.
03
Energy Horizons
Cleaner power for the future.
04
Climate Resilience
Adapt, restore and regenerate.
05
Cyber-Physical
Smarter systems for real life.
New in 2027 · Aligned with PCDS 2030
Industry-Lead Track
Real challenges. Research with purpose.
Connect classroom curiosity to challenges faced by Sarawak’s industries. Each research theme opens a path from a student’s question to a useful solution, while encouraging industry to invest in young research talent.
Translational Biotech
Turn Sarawak’s biodiversity into useful technologies, from bio-enzymes to nutraceuticals.
Questions your team could explore
-
Plant-based dyes
Which locally available plant extract gives the most colourfast dye on cotton?
-
Enzymes in action
How does temperature affect the ability of fruit-derived enzymes to break down gelatin?
Explore how biological resources can become practical products.
Energy Horizons
Explore cleaner ways to generate, store and distribute power, including hydrogen innovation and renewable energy integration.
Questions your team could explore
-
Smarter solar
How do shade and panel angle change the electricity generated by a small solar panel?
-
Keeping classrooms cool
Which roof material keeps a model classroom coolest and could reduce cooling demand?
Investigate ideas that support Sarawak’s energy transition.
Climate Resilience
Investigate sustainability challenges across construction, shipping, timber and property.
Questions your team could explore
-
Waste into materials
How does adding sawdust affect the strength and water absorption of a model building block?
-
Rain-ready spaces
Which permeable surface reduces water runoff most in a model neighbourhood?
Test ways to use fewer resources and adapt to a changing climate.
These project ideas are starting points for inspiration, not official industry challenge briefs. Develop your research question with your teacher and mentor.
Turn an industry challenge into your investigation.
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Find a challenge
Choose a theme and a problem that matters to your community or an industry.
-
Ask a testable question
Work with your teacher and mentor to decide what to compare and measure.
-
Build evidence
Test your idea, record the results and explain how your findings could help.
September 2026 → September 2027
From first spark to state stage.
Six clear milestones. One extraordinary year.
-
01
Mobilization
Official statewide launch
- Portal go-live & media announcement
- Call for school project proposals
- Theme guides & templates released
-
02
Outreach & Submit
Roadshows & proposal drafting
- Statewide school & PPD roadshows
- Guidance webinars with live Q&A
- Up to 3 proposals per school
- Each student may belong to only one team
- Submission deadline: 11 November 2026
-
03
Top 150 Selection
Screening & mentor pairing
- Expert panel proposal screening
- 150 teams chosen statewide
- Paired with academic mentors
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04 3 Hubs
Bootcamps & Research
3 regional hubs & building
- Bootcamps in Kuching, Sibu & Miri
- Up to RM5,000 grant funding per team
- State lab access
-
05
Top 30 Finalists
Assessment & shortlisting
- Submit reports & prototype data
- 100-pt rubric judge evaluation
- Top 30 state finalists emerge
-
06
State Finale
Live pitch & grand awards
- Live onstage pitch at Symposium
- Prototypes exhibited to leaders
- Champion trophies & certificates
Phase 4 Regional Bootcamp Locations
Where are the bootcamps conducted?
To ensure accessible hands-on training across Sarawak, the Top 150 selected teams attend regional bootcamps at 3 state-of-the-art facilities across the South, Central, and North zones.
3 Hubs
South · Central · North
South Zone Hub
Kuching
Sarawak Science Centre
Equipping Southern division teams with world-class interactive science laboratories and rapid prototyping machinery.
Central Zone Hub
Sibu
University of Technology Sarawak (UTS)
Central campus hosting hands-on engineering, smart materials, and renewable power research workshops.
North Zone Hub
Miri
SRDC Common Science Laboratory
State common research facility providing Northern Sarawak teams with high-precision characterization and test equipment.
Two award categories
Big wins for brave work.
Primary and secondary teams are judged separately.
Plus 10 special awards
1st runner-up
RM1,500
Premier’s BrightSparx Innovation Award
RM2,500
2nd runner-up
RM1,000
Special Recognitions
10 Special Awards
Contested across all primary and secondary finalist teams (RM500 each).
RM500 Each · Category Honors
Trophy & Cert
Sparkle Award #1
Creative Thinking
RM500
Trophy & Cert
Sparkle Award #2
Experimental Curiosity
RM500
Certificate
Industry Track ×5
Best Industry Solution · One award per track across 5 tracks
RM500 each
Certificate
Communicator
Pitch & Clarity
RM500
Certificate
Fan Favourite
Public & Attendee Vote
RM500
Certificate
Changemaker
Sarawak Impact
RM500
See curiosity in action
This is what discovery looks like.
01
Start with a question
Hands on from day one.
02
Learn by building
Make the invisible visible.
03
Test and refine
Real lab work. Real mentors.
04
Share the discovery
Ideas ready for the stage.
Quick answers
Good question.
Everything your school needs to take the first step.
Your spark belongs here
Ready to make it real?
Bring the question. SRDC BrightSparX brings the support.
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