Ideas in Action: 2026 Faculty of ICT Expo Connects Student Innovation with Industry Needs

As the title suggests, ideas by themselves remain unrealised potential. It is only when they are put into action that they begin to take on meaning, drive innovation, and shape reality. This philosophy was at the heart of the 2026 Faculty of ICT Expo, which sought to enrich the student experience by connecting students' innovative ideas with the needs and challenges of industry.

Held over two days on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 July 2026, the Expo featured an engaging programme of activities that underscored its central mission: to create a launchpad for innovation while showcasing the transformative potential of technology. By bringing together students, academics and industry professionals, the event fostered meaningful dialogue, collaboration and opportunities for future partnerships.

"Ideas are what we generate here. Our role is to give students the space, the support and the opportunities they need to create. Ideas have the power to change the way we do things, but they only make a difference when they are put into action. That's why we work closely with industry and our wider community: to ensure those ideas become the innovations that society really needs”, commented Dr Conrad Attard, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of ICT, and organiser of the Expo. 

One of the first highlights of the Expo was the Awards Night, which recognised the outstanding achievements of students whose final-year projects stood out among the more than 90 projects exhibited. The awards, which Malta’s Minister for Education and Sport, Hon. Byron Camilleri attended, celebrated technical excellence, creativity and the real-world impact of student innovation.

Prof. Carl James Debono, Dean of the Faculty of ICT, reiterated that the Expo “is a celebration of collaboration and interdisciplinarity, Bridge between knowledge and the industry. With us today are thinkers, builders and dreamers. We nurture minds to imagine responsibilities – what you do today can bring change and build a better tomorrow.”

The best undergraduate projects of the year were those of:

• Mr Ian Caruana - B.Sc. IT (Hons.) Artificial Intelligence: Low-resource Approaches for Automatic Speech Recognition for Maltese 
• Ms Julia Curmi - B.Sc. IT (Hons.) Software Development: Comparative Analysis of Imputation Methods for Influenza Surveillance Data 
• Mr Robert Scerri - B.Sc. (Hons.) Computing Science - Implementing the Linear Lambda Calculus in Rust 

Following an interesting talk by Prof. Claudia Borg about the challenges faced by the Maltese language in the age of AI, Mr Matthias Bartolo, Mr Karl Cini, Mr Dylan Gatt, Mr Nathan Portelli and Mr Andre Theuma, received awards for graduating with a distinction and achieving the highest mark amongst last year's MSc cohorts.

Prof. Frank Bezzina, UM, Rector, spoke about the essence of the Faculty of ICT; “a place where ideas are born, challenged, refined, and tested. Their true value, however, lies in transforming those ideas into solutions that benefit society, strengthen industry, and prepare future generations for the challenges ahead.”

The Faculty of ICT is one of the University of Malta's flagship faculties, home to around 540 students, including approximately 200 postgraduate students. It is a faculty that not only delivers high-quality teaching but also creates new knowledge and develops expertise at the highest level.

This commitment is equally evident in its research and innovation. The Faculty has secured approximately €5 million in competitive research funding, reflecting the confidence that funding bodies place in the quality, relevance, and impact of its work.

“What makes the Faculty truly distinctive, however, is the close relationship it has cultivated with industry. Through strong partnerships with leading organisations, students gain valuable real-world experience, researchers tackle practical challenges, and innovation moves seamlessly from the laboratory to society. These collaborations ensure that the Faculty remains at the forefront of technological advancement while equipping graduates with the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to thrive in an ever-evolving digital world”, Prof. Bezzina said. 

Communications Specialist Keith Demicoli moderated the panel discussion, Algorithms vs. Humans: Who is in Control?, featuring Kurt Rapinett, Senior Manager in Technology & Transformation at Deloitte; Steven Caruana, Associate Director at KPMG Microsoft Business Solutions; Jake Azzopardi, Senior Manager at PwC Malta; and Daniel Cuschieri, Senior Manager (Technology Consulting) at EY Malta. The discussion explored the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and human decision-making, offering attendees valuable perspectives from leaders at the forefront of technological innovation.

Friday's programme also included a series of breakout sessions—smaller, interactive discussions that enabled participants to delve deeper into some of the most pressing topics in ICT. Sessions ranged from The Security Imperative: Lessons Learned about the Impact of People, Process & Regulation on an Effective Cyber Security Practice to Turning AI Theory into Practice: Inside Modern Consulting, How Agentic AI is Changing Software Engineering, and Postgraduate Opportunities @ UM. Throughout these sessions, participants exchanged ideas, challenged assumptions, refined strategies and explored practical approaches to emerging technological challenges.

This year's Expo placed an even greater spotlight on student voices, with a number of MSc presentations forming part of the programme. Covering topics such as what it is like to work in a laboratory and how artificial intelligence can be trained to observe and interpret the universe, these presentations showcased the breadth of postgraduate research taking place within the Faculty. More importantly, they gave students the opportunity to present their work to academics, industry professionals and prospective collaborators, receiving valuable feedback while demonstrating how their research can contribute to solving real-world challenges. The sessions highlighted the important role students play in driving innovation and reinforced the Expo's commitment to bridging academic research with industry needs.

“The University offers a diverse portfolio of ICT degrees, allowing students to develop specialist expertise while ensuring they stay current with ongoing advancements in technology and innovation”, Faculty of ICT Dean, Prof. Carl James Debono reminded attendees. 

Saturday was dedicated to Open Labs Day, inviting members of the public of all ages to explore the Faculty of ICT's laboratories and facilities. Visitors experienced a wide range of technologies, from sensors, mobile and programming devices to the cutting-edge Microelectronics, Nanoelectronics and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Testing Lab. They also had the opportunity to meet Pepper, the Faculty's semi-humanoid robot housed within the Pervasive Lab, offering a glimpse into the innovative research and technologies shaping the future of ICT.

"Our students are our greatest ambassadors and influencers. Throughout the year, many of them volunteer in STEM outreach activities in schools, helping us inspire the next generation in a fun and engaging way. It's not just about teaching technology; it's about helping young people enjoy the process of learning and discover the possibilities that could shape their future careers”, said Dr Attard. 

More information about the Expo and its participants can be found online.  

Short interviews with some of the students exhibiting their work are on the Faculty of ICT’s Facebook Page. 

You can also playback the livestream online. 

Visit the Undergraduate Page and the Postgraduate Page where you can apply for the Faculty’s study programmes. 

Special thanks to the firms and organisations that supported this year’s Faculty of ICT Expo and Publication. Our Main Sponsor was the Malta Information Technology Agency. Event Sponsors included EY, ICT Solutions, IEEE Malta Section and IEEE Computer Society, and KPMG Microsoft Business Solutions. Gold Sponsors were Acuity Analytics, APS Bank Plc, Bank of Valletta, Computime, CrabNebula, Deloitte, Enterprise MRO Solutions Ltd., Epic, GO, Grassi Ventures Ltd., ICT Solutions, KPMG Microsoft Business Solutions, Lemonworx Ltd., MDIA, Parallels, PwC Malta, Simply Staking, Smart Technologies Ltd., Tech.mt, and Tipico. Our Silver Sponsor was IXEAD Ltd. Other Sponsors included CCBill, Gaming Malta, MCA, and RS2.