TEDxUniversitiBruneiDarussalam officially hosted the first TEDx event on 4th March 2023 at the Pro Chancellor Arts Centre, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

TEDxUniversitiBruneiDarussalam debuted with the theme “Sustainability” featuring eight speakers consisting of UBD staff, students and local speakers. The speakers for the inaugural event were: Dr James McLellan, Dr F Merlin Franco, Dr Pooja Shivanand, Yong Teck Nyek, Zubaidah Haji Nor Hisham, Wafaa Hamzah, Asyaf Zulkipli, Shaun Hoon and Professor Rolf Müller.

The event catered for about 100 people and was open to students, UBD staff and members of the public.

Key members of the organizing committee consisted of staff from the Office of Assistant Vice Chancellor (Research). The event aims to raise the domestic and international visibility and reputation of UBD.

For those unfamiliar with TED, it started as a small nonprofit, in 1984, bringing people together to share “Ideas Worth Spreading” from three disciplines – Technology, Entertainment and Design. These ideas are shared in the form of a story or “TED Talk”, which lasts a maximum of 18 minutes. Since its inception, TED conferences have included speakers like Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, and Quincy Jones who have spoken alongside athletes and grass root musicians.

For updates on TEDxUniversitiBruneiDarussalam events, members of the public can follow the official Instagram account @tedxuniversitibruneidarussalam or email at tedx.oavcr@ubd.edu.bn.