UIU celebrates historic achievement of aerial robotics team

United International University (UIU) organised a reception ceremony to celebrate the historic achievement of its Aerial Robotics Team (UART), which secured fourth place in the world at the prestigious Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) 2026 Competition in the USA on September 23, 2026, at the UIU Campus.

UART achieved this success at the SUAS 2026 Competition, held from September 14 to 17, 2026, at Skyway Range in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Competing in the prestigious international competition for the first time, UART’s outstanding performance placed the team among the world’s leading university teams in aerial robotics and unmanned aerial systems. Notably, UIU’s Aerial Robotics Team became the first Bangladeshi team in the history of the SUAS Competition to secure a podium position.

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The world’s most prestigious student unmanned aerial systems competition, SUAS has been held regularly since 2003. A total of 81 teams from different countries participated in this year’s competition. Despite challenging weather conditions that caused 21 teams to crash, UIU’s UART successfully completed its mission through strategic decision-making and technical expertise.

The Chief Guest at the reception ceremony, Prof. Dr Md Abul Kashem Mia, Vice-Chancellor of UIU, said that the achievement reflects the students’ talent, hard work, innovative thinking, and technological expertise. He described the success as an important demonstration of the capabilities of Bangladesh’s higher education sector and its young generation. He further said that UIU will continue its efforts to promote research, innovation, and technology-driven education while creating greater opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge and capabilities at the international level.

Dr Riasat Azim, Mentor of UART and Associate Professor, Department of CSE, UIU, said that UART’s fourth-place global finish is the result of the dedication, technical expertise, creativity, and teamwork of its students, faculty members, and mentors. He added that the achievement also reflects UIU’s continued commitment to experiential learning, research, innovation, and technology-driven education. Participation in the international competition provided UIU students with valuable hands-on experience in solving real-world problems, demonstrating team leadership, and applying advanced technologies in challenging environments. Finally, he expressed his sincere gratitude to the UIU authorities for their unwavering support and cooperation in the team’s participation in this international competition.

UART’s success marks another significant addition to UIU’s growing record of achievements in international robotics and technology competitions. Through continued investment in research, innovation, and student-led technological initiatives, UIU is creating opportunities for its students to develop practical technological solutions to complex real-world challenges and demonstrate their capabilities on highly competitive international platforms.

The faculty members, students, UART team members, senior university officials, and other distinguished guests attended the reception ceremony.