Innovation is a powerful driver of progress, especially when young minds are given the tools and encouragement to think creatively and solve real-world problems. With this vision, the Nurturing Future Inventors Competition, better known as eNURI, was introduced as a platform to cultivate structured and systematic thinking among primary and secondary school students. Through TRIZ-based approaches, eNURI provides a framework for young learners to transform creative ideas into practical solutions that address community and societal needs.

The innovation journey began with the e-Borneo Knowledge Fair (eBKF) Junior Inventive Challenge (eJIC), introduced during the pandemic to encourage students to think creatively while addressing real-life challenges such as mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Building on the success of eJIC, the eBKF9 2022/2023 Innovation Competition was launched to further strengthen students’ systematic and inventive thinking skills.

From this progression, the initiative grew into what is now known as the eNURI Innovation Competition, a more structured and comprehensive platform aimed at nurturing future inventors across Sarawak. As the competition continued to develop, eNURI steadily expanded its reach, impact, and collaborative networks. With the establishment of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), eNURI became one of CSI’s annual flagship programmes, run with the approval of the Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS).

The competition has been strengthened through collaborations with various partners, including the Malaysia TRIZ Innovation Association (MyTRIZ), the Sarawak Innovation TRIZ Association (Sarawak TRIZ), Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS), the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), and the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FCSIT), UNIMAS.