At the grand finals and award ceremony of the 20th Warring States National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the 2025 Chiayi City Youth Entrepreneurship Incentive Subsidy Program, the cross-disciplinary entrepreneurial team—Warring States Insect Sea, composed of teachers and students from the College of Engineering at Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (STUST)—delivered an outstanding performance. With their innovative business model, which combines AI technology with the processing of plastic and agricultural waste, the team stood out among numerous exceptional teams nationwide. They were awarded the Chiayi City Youth Entrepreneurship Award, receiving a prize of NT$400,000, which was personally presented by Chiayi Mayor Min-Hui Huang. The achievement has sparked new momentum for youth entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation in Chiayi City.

【Warring States Insect Sea Team of STUST Won A Big Price for Entrepreneurship, Celebrating a Milestone Moment! The Warring States Insect Sea team, composed of faculty and students from the College of Engineering at STUST, earned top honors at the 20th Warring States National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, securing the Chiayi City Youth Entrepreneurship Award and a NT$400,000 prize. Their work demonstrated the potential of AI-powered insect technology to drive sustainable circular economy practices. This landmark victory showcases the team's success in combining engineering expertise with eco-friendly innovation. The award ceremony was attended by President Nen-Fu Huang, along with department heads and instructors who supported the project, all gathered to celebrate the team’s breakthrough achievement. Pictured were the winning team and supporting faculty: President Nen-Fu Huang, Chairman You-Chen Chen of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Chairman Da-Wei Huang of Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Chairman Guo-Jun Hong of the Department of Information Engineering, Chairman Shu-Chiang Guan of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Director You-Ren Chen of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubation Center, and the members of the Warring States Insect Sea team. Together, they witnessed and celebrated this brilliant milestone in sustainable innovation and entrepreneurial excellence.】

Background of the Warring States Strategy Competition and Chiayi City's Youth Entrepreneurship Vision

The Warring States Strategy National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition has been held annually since 2006 and has now reached its 20th session. This year's competition was closely integrated with the Chiayi City Youth Entrepreneurship Incentive Subsidy Program. In recent years, Chiayi City has proactively invested resources to encourage young people to return to and remain in their hometowns for career development. Through this program, it helps new startups define their market positioning, establish successful business models, and achieve stable growth—all within the context of local characteristic industries. These efforts aim to revitalize Chiayi’s unique urban districts and promote regional economic development. The total prize pool this year reached NT$3.5 million. Chiayi Mayor Min-Hui Huang emphasized the city’s continued commitment to creating a youth-friendly entrepreneurial environment. Over the five years of the youth entrepreneurship program, the city has supported 57 youth entrepreneurship teams, becoming a driving force in local innovation and industrial advancement.。

【Warring States Insect Sea Team of STUST Won NT$400,000 and the Innovation Award—Mayor Min-Hui Huang Presented the Honor. At the finals of the 20th Warring States Strategy National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the Chiayi City Youth Entrepreneurship Incentive Subsidy Program, held in Chiayi City, the cross-disciplinary Warring States Insect Sea team from STUST stood out with their AI-driven sustainable agricultural model. Their outstanding innovation and potential for industrialization earned them the Chiayi City Youth Entrepreneurship Award and a NT$400,000 prize, presented by Mayor Min-Hui Huang. In the group photo after the ceremony were (from left) Secretary General Yao-Hong Shu of the Industrial and Commercial Development and Investment Promotion Association, Director Si-Shian Li of the Social Affairs Department, Director Chang-Pei Tian of the Construction Department, Mayor Min-Hui Huang, and members of the Warring States Insect Sea team—all gathered to celebrate this milestone in smart agricultural innovation.】

Warring States Insect Sea: Empowering Circular Sustainability with AI Intelligence

The Warring States Insect Sea team of STUST includes Wei-Cheng Lin (Doctoral Program in Electrical Engineering), and students Jun-Mo Li, Chi-Lin Liu, and Yi-Shuan Yeh from the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology. The team is jointly guided by Chairman You-Chen Chen (Department of Electrical Engineering), Chairman Da-Wei Huang (Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology), and Chairman Guo-Jun Hong (Department of Information Engineering). They are supported by the university’s Research Development and Industry-Academia Collaboration Office and entrepreneurship programs at the Southern Taiwan Science Park. The team is dedicated to developing a novel system for processing plastic and agricultural waste, using mealworms as the core biological solution. With the vision of AI technology empowering all industries, the team enhances the traditional mealworm-based bioprocessing system by incorporating advanced AI technologies, aiming to scale and upgrade agricultural practices intelligently. By integrating an AIoT smart monitoring system, environmental sensors, and automated breeding modules, they have developed an intelligent mealworm breeding platform equipped with temperature, humidity, and light controls. This enables real-time environmental monitoring, precision control, and significantly boosts the efficiency and quality of waste processing. The application of image recognition technology further reduces manpower requirements, stabilizes production, and ensures product consistency. Altogether, the team’s work contributes to digital transformation, promotes resource recycling, and actively advances the goals of sustainable development.

【Dean Chun-Sheng Chang of the College of Smart Health at STUST, with team member Wei-Cheng Lin (Department of Electrical Engineering, first from left) and Jun-Mo Li (Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, first from right), along with other members of the Warring States Insect Sea team.】

Innovative Practice: From “Using Insects to Solve Plastic Pollution” to a Sustainable Economic Model

The core innovation of the Warring States Insect Sea team lies in the practical application of its co-processing technology for agricultural by-products and plastic waste. By collaborating with local businesses and farmers, the team has developed a comprehensive, one-stop sustainable economic model that spans the entire cycle—from waste recycling and insect body processing to by-product reuse and the sale of intelligent breeding equipment. This model not only advances the vision of “using insects to solve plastic pollution” but also embodies a strong commitment to net-zero carbon emissions and the principles of circular economy.

Repeated Recognition: Driving Innovation with Industrialization Potential

The success of the Warring States Insect Sea team is no coincidence. Building upon the extensive experience of the Food and Bio-resource Utilization Laboratory in the Department of Biological and Food Technology, the team effectively integrates cutting-edge technologies developed by the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Information Engineering, especially in artificial intelligence and digital signal processing. This cross-domain innovation capacity has earned the team repeated recognition, even before winning the Chiayi City Youth Entrepreneurship Award of NT$400,000. The team previously received top honors in the 2024 Chiayi Works! Nanwan PITCH BATTLE Health Innovation Industry Award as well as the 2023 Second-Tier College Entrepreneurship Practical Simulation Learning Platform Competition organized by the Ministry of Education. Now, their victory in the Warring States Strategy competition further validates the team’s technological maturity and the business potential of their model. The team plans to use the subsidy to advance the development of key mechanical control systems—enhancing processes such as automated feeding, insect separation, and harvesting—to accelerate the industrialization of their technology and bring academic research to market more effectively.

President Nen-Fu Huang: Fostering Innovation with Real-World Impact, and Cultivating Sustainable AI Talents

President Nen-Fu Huang of STUST expressed strong praise for the team’s innovative and entrepreneurial achievements. He emphasized that entrepreneurship represents the ultimate platform for students to apply their knowledge, meet market demands, and solve real-world problems—creating tangible value in the process. President Huang noted that the team’s proactive spirit—identifying challenges and overcoming bottlenecks—has led to the successful transformation of academic research into industrial applications. This aligns perfectly with the university’s vision as a practice-oriented technology institution. He also extended special thanks to the Warring States Strategy competition and the Chiayi City Government for offering young talents valuable opportunities for cross-regional collaboration and hands-on experience.

The Research and Development Office and the Southern Taiwan Science Park Incubation Center will continue to offer abundant entrepreneurial resources and mentorship, striving to cultivate cross-domain talents capable of responding to fast-evolving technological and market trends. The university encourages more student teams to translate their academic knowledge into competitive AI-driven technologies and products that can be truly implemented in real-world scenarios. STUST will remain dedicated to creating a supportive entrepreneurial environment— guiding youth toward steady growth, encouraging bold innovation, and empowering them to realize their personal and professional aspirations. In doing so, the university contributes to the sustainable development of local communities and industries alike.