Concord Pacific and CEO Terry Hui are expanding their community impact by sponsoring a groundbreaking STEM initiative that’s quite literally taking flight. In early December, Concord Pacific’s Burnaby Presentation Centre served as the launch site for Canada’s first Aerial Drone Competition series, a national youth-focused event designed to introduce hands-on drone technology, engineering, and programming to students aged 10–16.
The Aerial Drone Competition, known for blending real-world technology with student creativity and teamwork, debuted in Canada with the Mission 2026: Time Warp challenge. This competition series is part of an internationally recognized robotics and drone program run by Vancouver Integem in partnership with the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF)—the organization behind globally popular robotics challenges like VEX. Innovation partners, including Google and the Defense STEM Education Consortium, also support the program.
CEO Terry Hui has been passionate about combining emerging technology with competitive events ever since his days as a physics and electrical engineering student at UC Berkeley and Santa Clara. As one of the founders of the Quantum Gravity Society and the helmsman of a maxi class sailing team, Hui has continually pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in science and human achievement. His leadership of Concord Pacific includes building the world’s largest EV quick-charge parkades and developing Concord Green Energy’s solar, wind, and hydroelectric projects across Canada. Terry Hui is proud to sponsor educational opportunities such as the Aerial Drone Competition to improve STEM-based opportunities for students in Canada.
At the Burnaby event, young teams showcased drones they had designed, built, and programmed, demonstrating skills in teamwork, code-based autonomous flight, and problem-solving under pressure. It was an early glimpse at how the competition fosters engineering confidence and collaborative thinking in a fun, competitive environment that’s accessible to kids.
Participants go through four key missions that highlight both technical and soft skills:
- Teamwork Mission – Cooperative drone challenges requiring strategic coordination.
- Piloting Skills Mission – Manual drone flight through obstacle courses.
- Autonomous Flight Mission – Code-driven navigation using languages like Python or Blockly.
- Communications Mission – Students explain their design and coding decisions to judges.
These tasks help students to translate classroom STEM concepts into hands-on application and mirror real industry challenges.
Shortly after the Burnaby kick-off at Concord Pacific’s Presentation Centre, the competition moved to City Square Shopping Centre in Vancouver, across from Vancouver City Hall, for the Western Canada Regional Qualifier.
The free, public event drew families, tech enthusiasts, and community supporters to watch 20+ teams pitch their drones against one another. Kids from around the region showcased impressive flying precision, creative programming, and bold teamwork.
The regional stage serves as the gateway to the 2026 Aerial Drone Competition regional championships in spring, and ultimately to the World Championship for top-performing teams.
Concord Pacific’s sponsorship highlights its commitment to supporting programs that benefit youth, families, and the broader Metro Vancouver community. Alongside its backing of local arts and sports, this STEM initiative reflects the developer’s belief in preparing tomorrow’s workforce through early exposure to technology and innovation.
By hosting the competition launch and helping bring it to local stages like City Square, Concord Pacific is ensuring that hands-on science goes beyond the classroom to become a part of everyday community life.
Mission 2026 teams will continue to compete in local events through March, leading into regional championships between April and June 2026. For participants and their families, the Aerial Drone Competition is shaping up to be an inspiring chapter in Canadian youth STEM education.
