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Pakistan’s student innovation took center stage at the 2025 APAC Digital Transformation Forum as “GeoGemma”, a student team from the Institute of Space Technology (IST) in Islamabad, was awarded with the “Best AI Use Case” Award at the 2025 APAC Solution Challenge organised by Google Developer Groups (GDG) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The competition brought together student-led projects from across Asia-Pacific (APAC), each of which employed Google AI tools to address critical global challenges. The award celebrates the project that effectively leveraged AI technology to develop a practical solution to pressing issues that affect our communities.
GeoGemma, comprising students Ahmed Iqbal and Muhammad Abdullah in their final and second years, respectively, earned this accolade for its project that integrates satellite imagery with generative AI to address pressing environmental and geospatial issues.
The jury was impressed by GeoGemma for its use of AI in multiple modalities, noting its strong technology stack and the important problem being solved. The group’s use of the Gemini API is not just a feature but the core of its innovative solution to a complex and critical global problem. The project’s ambition to democratize access to geospatial data through a sophisticated LLM-driven framework represents the most advanced and impactful application of Gemini among the submissions.
Alongside GeoGemma, another Pakistani group, (N + 1)-th Time (Fast National University (NUCES), Islamabad Campus) was also one of the top 10 finalists of the Challenge. Comprising final year students Muhammad Huzaifa Khan and Hashim Muhammad Nadeem, the team developed a solution that helps neurodivergent users create documents more easily by providing a document editor that allows users to dictate, edit, and transform text naturally.
“We are incredibly proud to see the remarkable talent from Pakistan shine at the APAC Solution Challenge,” said Farhan Qureshi, Country Director, Google Pakistan. “The young minds of GeoGemma and (N + 1)-th Time have demonstrated exceptional innovation and dedication, tackling some of the most critical challenges facing our world with their solutions using Gemini. GeoGemma’s win of the ‘Best AI Use Case’ is also a testament to their impactful work, and a showcase of the thriving Pakistan developer ecosystem.”
“The APAC Solution Challenge was a cornerstone of the Asia Pacific Digital Transformation Forum 2025. We saw the power of student-led innovation to address real-world challenges in healthcare, sustainability, trade, and tourism through technology and AI. The energy and creativity of the students were truly inspiring – we are seeing the future of sustainable digital transformation in the Asia Pacific region. – Antonio García Zaballos , Director of Digital Sector Office, ADB”
Other award recipients at the forum included Atempo from Konkuk University, South Korea, who won the Most Societal Impact Award for their AI-powered emergency room matching platform, and the People’s Choice Award, presented to Team portfolio making group 2 from Holy Angel University, Philippines, for their waste management tracking solution.
