KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) has strengthened its global standing after its students secured multiple awards at the Accounting for Sustainability International Case Competition 2026 (A4SICC 2026).
In a statement today, UTP said its Team ECOETIC, comprising first-year Bachelor of Computer Science students, won the Best Team Under Pressure Award as well as the People’s Choice Award (Global Vote).
The team members are Batrisyia Azhar, Nur Iffah Batrisyia Sani, Ahmad Ammir Harees Ahmad Azimi, Nur Amalia Izzati Mohamad Azni and Aerill Danial Ronalan.
“The team also advanced to the semi-finals, placing UTP among a select group of shortlisted universities on a highly competitive international platform,” the statement said.
In another notable achievement, Team DOMO, represented by Nur Amalia Izzati, secured the Best Accounting Bissim Simulation Award, highlighting UTP’s strong performance across multiple competition categories.
“At the competition, students were challenged to address complex sustainability issues through business simulations that integrate environmental, social, and financial considerations, simulating board-level decision-making under time constraints and limited information.
“The UTP team proposed solutions centred on nature-based approaches to strengthening infrastructure resilience and environmental sustainability - an area of increasing global importance,” it said.
UTP highlighted that these achievements were the result of nearly eight months of structured preparation, during which the students conducted in-depth sustainability research, developed financially viable business cases, and completed multiple rounds of simulation-based training and mentoring.
The teams were guided by advisors M. Thavasegaran, Dr Savita K. Sugathan and Juliana Abu Bakar, who provided continuous academic and strategic guidance throughout the preparation and competition phases.
In the same statement, speaking on behalf of Team ECOETIC, Batrisyia said that competing on a global stage was both challenging and rewarding, adding that the exposure gained by the team was invaluable as it pushed the team to integrate sustainability considerations with technical analysis while working effectively under tight timelines and real-world decision-making conditions.
UTP added that participants in A4SICC 2026 were evaluated based on strategic clarity, sustainability impact, financial feasibility, stakeholder considerations, and effectiveness of communication under pressure.
“The competition brought together 535 students from 89 universities across 31 countries, with UTP competing among leading global institutions on a highly competitive international platform.
“The achievement reflects UTP’s approach to interdisciplinary learning and industry-linked education, enabling students to apply technical expertise to sustainability-focused challenges from the early stages of their academic journey,” it said.
UTP also acknowledged the support of the Petronas Corporate Sustainability team, including Charlotte Wolff-Bye, Siti Rafidah Moslim, Wan Nurul Izza and Yap Hee Loong, whose contributions strengthened the teams’ preparation and industry exposure.
-- BERNAMA
