The competition was held in a highly professional and academic atmosphere, where teams directly presented and defended their projects before the Jury Panel, consisting of lecturers and industry experts. Evaluation criteria focused on necessity, level of innovation, applicability, market potential, and the implementation capacity of the teams.
A key highlight of this year’s season is the strong emphasis on real-world applicability and solutions addressing specific social issues. Many projects clearly demonstrated a product development mindset aligned with market needs and sustainability factors. Notable examples include the conversion of gasoline motorbikes into hybrid vehicles (USI13) aimed at green transportation solutions; GUPI herbal hair growth extract (USI49) utilizing natural ingredients; a rapid borax detection kit for food safety (USI53); and construction waste recycling into bricks (USI02) contributing to the circular economy.
In addition, technology and digital platform projects also showed strong development, such as UDA Joblink – a platform connecting students with employers; SHUOLANGO – a language exchange matching application; and personalized AI tutoring systems (USI18). Consumer and lifestyle-oriented projects also demonstrated creativity in product development, including loofah soap, biological hydrogel face masks, and marine resource-based green products such as Ocean Reborn.
Beyond evaluation, the semifinal round also provided an opportunity for teams to receive direct feedback and in-depth critique from the expert panel. As a result, many projects were able to refine their models and further clarify their development directions before entering the next stage.
Following the semifinals, the Organizing Committee will select the Top 15 outstanding projects to advance to the Final Round, while continuing to support promising teams through mentoring activities and connections within the startup ecosystem.
The UDA Startup & Innovation Season VII 2026 continues to affirm its role as an important academic–practical platform, contributing to fostering entrepreneurial thinking, innovation capacity, and project implementation skills among students of Dong A University.