Kuala Lumpur, 14 November 2013 – Institute of Bioproduct Development (IBD), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Entogenex won Innovation Business Award at World Innovation Forum – Kuala Lumpur (WIF-KL 2013).
IBD is a Centre of Excellence focused on Research, Development and Commercialization of innovative bioproducts and Entogenex as its industrial partner was nominated as the top three finalists and succeeded to come out on top winning a cash prize of RM10, 000 and a trophy.
The award was presented by Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Dr. Ewon Ebin to IBD Director, Professor Ramlan Aziz and Entogenex Chief Operating Officer Marcus Francis at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).
Professor Ramlan said, IBD’s Bioprocessing Engineering team led by Professor Hesham Elshasy has been working together with Entogenex for the past two years in the development of a product called ‘MOUSTICIDE’ which is a Novel Super Larvacide for Mosquito Control.
“The invention that has won several awards is designed to kill mosquito larvae without jeopardizing the environment as is non-toxic and biodegradable.
“So far, this product has been used and applied in the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar and Ghana to control the reproduction of virus carrying mosquitos. The product is expected to be exported to other countries especially those countries that are affected by dengue and malaria epidemic,” he said.
He also cited, ‘MOUSTICIDE’ is being produced using bioprocessing facilities in IBD approved by The Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) from the Department of Biosafety, Ministry Natural Resources and Environment, the only laboratory of its kind that was set up in a university in Malaysia.
“IBD will continuously strive for more industrial collaborative effort especially in the field of Bioprocessing, Herbal Technology and Bioproduct Development and Formulation in which it will create more economic activities for the industry and to the country,” he said.
WIF-KL 2013 Gala Night was an avenue to award innovation activities and initiatives by Malaysians in the form of innovating products, technologies and servicing the industry.
The event aspires to create a new culture of innovation, and was held at the epicentre of economic growth, emerging technologies and innovation in Asia and was jointly organised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Malaysian Innovation Foundation.
More than 1,500 delegates from over 25 countries participated in the forum and more than 10,000 visitors was reported to visit the exhibition that took place at the Convention Centre from the 12th to 14th November 2013.
Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) initiated the Innovation Business Awards which highlighted the collaborative efforts between the industry and research institution in commercializing research and development (R&D) projects towards generating commercial value from their discoveries and inventions.