The Hwa Chong Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Summit (HC-APYLS) is a biennial event that aims to create a high-profile platform for student leaders from countries around the world to engage in intellectual engagement and inquiry into issues plaguing the world. Focusing on cultural diversity, the summit emphasises the importance of both multicultural and multilateral understanding.

The theme of 2024’s Summit was "World in Transition: Thriving Amidst the Transformation." In a time of rapid change—driven by technological innovation, shifting geopolitical landscapes, and evolving social dynamics—the summit encouraged delegates to explore how societies can not only adapt but thrive amidst these transitions. The student delegates were actively involved in discussions regarding pertinent issues such as the future of work in an increasingly automated world, the rise of climate-driven displacement, and the redefinition of global cooperation in a multipolar world. Delegates also considered how governments, businesses, and individuals can work together to ensure inclusive, sustainable progress in an era marked by disruption and uncertainty.

The International Science Youth Forum (ISYF) aims to provide high-ability students with ample opportunities to share and discuss their interest in science, technology and research. Interactions with Nobel Laureates and eminent scientists foster greater awareness in youth about the importance of broad-based knowledge, keen curiosity, relentless tenacity and a global outlook in the pursuit of science.

The theme for 2026 is “Curiosity Unlocked: How Questions Drive Discovery in the Age of AI”. 

Throughout history, scientific progress has been propelled not only by the pursuit of solutions such as curing deadly diseases, improving living standards, or understanding our world, but also by the courage to ask profound and often disruptive questions. In today’s era of machine learning and automated systems, this underscores the enduring power of human curiosity. From Newton’s reflections on gravity to Franklin’s breakthroughs in molecular biology, every major advance has begun with inquiry. As artificial intelligence expands our ability to analyse data and generate ideas, we must safeguard the uniquely human capacity to question, doubt, and imagine. At its core, scientific discovery is, and always will be, a product of curiosity.