BICTA 2004 officially launched at Ministry of Communications

Among the invited guests were Permanent Secretaries.

Guest of honour visiting one of the booths during the showcase.

The Ministry of Communications officially launched the Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) 2004 at its premises in Jalan Kebangsaan Lama yesterday. Present to grace the ceremony was Minister of Communications cum guest of honour Pehin Dato Awg Hj Zakaria bin Datu Mahawangsa Haji Sulaiman. Also in attendance were deputy ministers, permanent secretaries, directors and officers from both the government and private sectors. Several companies and schools also participated in a showcase held that morning, which included Brunei Shell Petroleum, Syabas Technologies, Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri (STPRI) and Jefri Bolkiah Technical College (MKJB). Both Syabas Technologies and STPRI earned themselves a 'Special Mention Award' each for the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) 2002 and 2003 respectively. A component of APICTA, the Brunei ICT Awards was hosted by the Ministry of Communications, and was jointly organised by the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AiTi), BIT Secretariat and Brunei Darussalam Computer Society (PKBD). BICTA's main objective is to stimulate innovation and creativity among individuals and associations - including SMEs - in the ICT industry. In addition, it also aims to be the benchmark for local companies to compete amongst each other. Winners for this year's BICTA will be nominated during the annual APICTA, scheduled to take place in Hong Kong at the end of the year. Some 14 categories have been identified for the award which includes Education & Training, Health, Security, e-Government and Services, Industrial Applications, Business Applications, e-Commerce, Tourism, Communications Applications, Multimedia Applications, Research & Development and Students' Projects (for Tertiary Institution, Secondary and Primary Schools). First place winners of each category will receive a $1,000 cash prize, return air-tickets plus 5-night stay in Hong Kong, and will stand a chance to represent Brunei at the APICTA 2004 in Hong Kong. The BICTA 2004 form is available at www.bicta.gov.bn and should be submitted to the Ministry of Communications before September 1, 2004.