Standing inside Seoul’s vast COEX Hall C on 3 December, as the Seoul International Invention Fair (SIIF) 2025 began, Abdullah Ibnah Hasan felt the weight of representing not just a group of young innovators but an entire nation on the world’s largest stage for inventions.

He is the team lead of Calibrator-Z, a youth-led robotics and innovation team from Bangladesh.

“It felt like stepping into a world far bigger than us,” he recalled. 

By the time the fair concluded on 6 December, Calibrator-Z had achieved something remarkable: they won the Silver Medal, emerging as the only team from Bangladesh to participate in SIIF 2025. The event brought together nearly 600 teams from 19 countries.

Calibrator-Z’s journey to Seoul began months earlier in Bangladesh. Sponsored by Hamko Industries Ltd., the team presented their project titled Bluewave Clean Tech, an environmental innovation developed through months of testing, refinement, and collaboration. However, the scale of SIIF 2025 quickly set the challenge apart from anything they had experienced before.

The fair was hosted by the Ministry of Intellectual Property of the Republic of Korea and organised by the Korea Invention Promotion Association. It was supported by major government bodies, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. International organisations, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization and the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations, further enhanced the global stature of the event.

Inside the exhibition hall were institutions such as Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Expressway Corporation, Hanyang University, Busan Institute of Science and Technology, and Princess Nourah University from Saudi Arabia.

In this highly competitive environment, Calibrator-Z stood out. It was a youth-led Bangladeshi team competing alongside experienced global innovators with limited resources but strong determination.

The team was led by Abdullah Ibnah Hasan, with Md Maruf Miah and Jarif Ahmed of Kent State University serving as co-leads. Team members included Jayed Abdullah, Khalid Bin Walid, and Istiak Ahmed from Adamjee Cantonment College, along with Abir Hossen, Md Jakaria Miah, and Samir Ahamad. Many of the members are students, and what they lacked in professional experience, they made up for through persistence and a commitment to environmental innovation.

Co-lead Md Maruf Miah recalled the pressure of presenting Bluewave Clean Tech before international judges. “We knew how much work went into this. The sleepless nights, the repeated testing, and the responsibility of representing our country,” he said. “When the judges showed real interest in our work, it felt like everything finally aligned.”

During the evaluation process, judges responded not only to the technical aspects of Bluewave Clean Tech, but also to the clarity of the team’s vision. In an event dominated by seasoned inventors, the youth of the team became a defining strength.

“Leading a young team in a field dominated by highly experienced global innovators was one of the toughest challenges of my life,” Abdullah said after the announcement. “This Silver Medal is a victory not only for Team Calibrator-Z, but for Bangladesh’s growing innovation ecosystem.”

Throughout the experience, the team expressed gratitude to Hamko Industries Ltd. for their sponsorship and continued support, which enabled them to represent Bangladesh on an international platform. 

As Calibrator-Z returned home with the Silver Medal from one of the world’s largest invention fairs, it reflected Bangladesh’s growing presence in the global innovation landscape. The recognition highlighted the ability of Bangladeshi youth-led teams to compete on international platforms through innovation and sustained effort.