ASEAN DSE 2025 builds youth data skills for the global economy

The ASEAN Foundation, in partnership with SAP, successfully held the ninth ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ASEAN DSE) 2025 Regional Finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 22 students from high schools and universities across the 10 ASEAN Member States presented their data-driven projects and innovative solutions to help address the region’s socio-economic challenges.

Using the SAP Analytics Cloud platform, participants demonstrated how data can be used to design impactful mobile applications tackling issues linked to six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action.

Team DataMinions from Lao PDR emerged as the Regional Winner with their project Namjai Smart Water Tank, a system that filters water, detects harmful substances, and sends alerts to households, NGOs, and local authorities. The innovation aims to help ensure clean water access, especially in Lao PDR, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Team Mamamamoodeng from Thailand and Team MyKXLab from Malaysia were named first and second runners-up, respectively.

“We are beyond grateful to be named regional winners of ASEAN DSE 2025. Seeing the other projects inspired us to continue improving our initiative and create a lasting impact for ASEAN,” said Palinya Sengdalavong and Kounlasatty Manivong of Team DataMinions.

Representing the Philippines, Team Sharksfin—composed of Lizzie Annika Montemayor and Val Allen Eltagonde from Ateneo de Manila University—presented HydroLink, a solution addressing water scarcity and contamination issues across ASEAN. The project, aligned with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), features a device for groundwater monitoring connected to a mobile app and centralized dashboards for easier data access.

“In many areas like Panglao, Bohol, and Los Baños, Laguna, people face salinity and bacterial contamination in their water. With HydroLink, we aim to turn this water crisis into an opportunity for data generation and community empowerment,” said Montemayor and Eltagonde.

Data-driven skills are becoming increasingly essential for the future workforce. According to MarketsandMarkets (2022), the global data science platform market is expected to grow from USD 95.3 billion in 2021 to USD 322.9 billion in 2026. However, a joint study by the ASEAN Foundation and Google (2022) revealed that 72.2% of surveyed underserved youth in ASEAN still lack advanced digital skills.

Through the ASEAN DSE programme, the ASEAN Foundation and SAP aim to bridge this skills gap by training young people in data analytics, helping them stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.