Press Release
To News Editors
To Technology
Editors
For Immediate Release
ASIA’S INVENTORS
TRANSFORMING VISION TO REALITY
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC
REVIEW ANNOUNCES 12 SHORTLISTED FINALISTS
Singapore / Hong Kong,
October 23, 2003 — The Far Eastern Economic Review, in
association with Global Entrepolis @ Singapore, has
shortlisted 12 finalists for the 6th Asian Innovation Awards.
Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore each have two
shortlisted entries. The other finalists come from India, the
Philippines and Vietnam, and there is a joint submission from
Malaysia and Australia.
The
Awards aim to recognize innovation and the search for clever
ideas and novel concepts that improve the quality of life. Now
in its sixth year, the Awards have grown in importance and
prestige as a form of recognition for Asian inventors and
innovators. The research areas cover a wide spectrum, spanning
from microbiology and medicine to agriculture and social
development.
A
total of 142 entries were received this year. The most entries
came from Singapore, with 41 submissions, followed by
Malaysia, with 17, and India, 14. Other entries came from
Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Vietnam,
South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Sweden, and the
Ukraine. There were also six joint submissions combining
talent in Asia Pacific, including the shortlisted entry from
Australia and Malaysia.
The 12 shortlisted
finalists are:
|
Australia |
Jim
Fah, Agromatic Corporation Pty Ltd
·
AutoPot
System
A
simple but effective watering and feeding system for
growing individual or large volume of plants in
containers. |
| Australia
|
im
Straatmans, Coconet International
·
Coconet
A
system that prevents falling coconuts from injuring or
killing people, by using a catcher clipped under the
frond that then guides the nuts into a
basket. |
| Australia-Malaysia
|
TR
Hamzah & Yeang Sdn Bhd (Architect); Dr Garcia
Hansen; Dr Ian Edwards, Schools of Design and Built
Environment and Physical Science, Queensland University
of Technology; Prof Richard Hyde, University of
Queensland
·
Light
Pipes
A
design device for bringing natural daylight and
illumination into buildings with a deep floor
plan. |
|
Hong
Kong |
CK
Life Sciences International
·
WonderTreat
A
range of yeast strains and natural ingredients that
remove pathogens from waste-water and improve the
efficiency of a water treatment plant. |
| Hong Kong
|
Leung
Wai On, Waste & Environmental Technologies
Ltd
·
WetSep
waste-water system powered by solar
energy
A
solar-powered system that treats construction run-off,
industrial effluent, and makes potable water in remote
areas. |
| India |
Dr
Milan Dass, National Institute for Visually
Handicapped
·
Versatile tactile
drawing board for the blind
Provides a blind child with an easy-to-operate
tool to develop concepts and access to subjects such as
maths, general science and geography. |
| Japan |
Fumio
Takaiwa, Yoshifumi Tada, Lijun Yang, Hiroshi Yasuda,
(National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences);
Takahito Jomori, Yuji Hayashi, Akira Tashita (Sanwa
Kagaku Kenkyusyo Co., Ltd., research department);
Hiroyasu Ebinuma, Koichi Sugita, Saori
Endo-Kasahara,
(Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., forestry
science laboratory)
·
Genetically
engineered rice with the peptide drug
GLP-1
A
system of generating genetically engineered rice that
contains a large amount of peptides – this rice can be a
therapeutic food for Type II diabetes
patients. |
| Japan |
Dr
Takaaki Itoh
·
Olyset
nets--long-lasting insecticidal bednets
Bednets that have insecticide bound to the net
fibres, making it unnecessary to retreat them every few
months. |
| The
Philippines |
Benny
Baligod, Gold In Grass Corporation
·
Production of
Lemon Grass Oil
A
prototype machine with new methods of distilling lemon
grass oil from lemon grass, allowing it to be produced
in large quantity as a viable cash crop by the poor
neighboring the company plant. |
| Singapore
|
Alex
Teo Yeow Lim, Tan Hai Meng, Kemin Industries
(Asia)
·
Replacement of
antibiotic growth promoters in poultry with a direct-fed
microbial product, CloSTAT ™
Discovered the ability of a particular bacteria
to block the growth of a dangerous bacteria in poultry –
eliminating the need to use antibiotics in animal feed
as a growth enhancer. |
| Singapore
|
Jinyan
Li, Huiqing Liu, Limsoon Wong, Institute for Infocomm
Research; Allen Yeoh, National University
Hospital
·
Gene expression
profiling improves the accuracy of diagnosis of
childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and
optimises the risk-benefit ratio of therapy, especially
in developing countries
A
simple, one-step test that can identify all the subtypes
of ALL with "gene expression
profiling". |
| Vietnam
|
Greig
Craft, President, Asian Injury Prevention
Foundation
· Helmets for
Kids
A
programme that makes special, hot-weather bike helmets
and donates them to Vietnamese
children. |
In addition, The Review
and the Economic Development Board of Singapore are
introducing, for the first time, the Global Entrepolis @
Singapore Award, which rewards an entry that best applies
technology to a strong business model and commercial
potential.
The judges for the
6th Asian Innovation Awards and the inaugural
Global Entrepolis @ Singapore Award were:
· Dr Mechai
Viravaidya, chairman, Population Development Association,
Thailand
- Professor
Anil Gupta, head of Society for Research and Initiatives for
Sustainable Technologies and Innovations (SRISTI); executive
vice-chairperson, National Innovation Foundation,
India
- Mr John
Chen, CEO & president, Sybase Inc, USA
- Tan Sri
Dato’ Lim Kok Wing, president, Malaysia Design Technology
Centre, Malaysia
- Dr Tony
Buss, president and CEO, MerLion Pharmaceuticals,
Singapore
Singapore’s Prime
Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong will present the Global Entrepolis @
Singapore Award at the opening ceremony of Global Entrepolis @
Singapore on 27 October. The Asian Innovation Awards will be
presented by Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan at the Global
Entrepolis @ Singapore gala dinner on 28 October.
Profiles of the
shortlisted Asian Innovation Awards entries can be found in
the Far Eastern Economic Review cover-dated October 30, which
is available from newsstands today. Additional information on
the Awards and last year’s winners can be found at http://www.feer.com/
The winners of the
Asian Innovation gold, silver and bronze awards will be
profiled in detail in The Review cover-dated November
6.
About the Global Entrepolis @ Singapore
The
Global Entrepolis @ Singapore is a world premier event for
enterprise, innovation and technology. More than just an
event, it is a unique marketplace where deals are made, funds
are raised, creative ideas are exchanged, new innovative
enterprises and partnerships are forged. A key highlight is
the Enterprise Exchange exposition where the latest in
technology and innovations are displayed and traded. The event
is also specially designed to facilitate enterprises, both big
and small, to network, interact and create business
opportunities with some of the world's most successful and
innovative companies and individuals.
Presented by EDB and organised by IDG World Expo, this
event will be held in Singapore from 27 - 31 October 2003. The
Global Entrepolis @ Singapore is expected to draw many of the
leading executives, CEOs, CTOs, COOs, entrepreneurs,
technopreneurs, startups, business angels and venture
capitalists from Asia and worldwide.
About Singapore Economic Development
Board
Singapore is one of the most competitive and
vibrant economies in the world. Strategically located as the
gateway to Asia Pacific, Singapore reaches a marketplace of
2.8 billion people within a seven-hour radius. Over the last
four decades, it has transformed into a leading international
centre for business and investment and more recently, a
thriving cosmopolis for arts and innovation. Today, Singapore
is a reputable financial centre, a key international trading
centre, the world's busiest port, a rising biomedical hotbed,
and Asia's most wired city.
As Singapore's lead investment promotion agency, the
Singapore Economic Development Board nurtures a conducive
total environment where local and foreign companies, large and
small, can grow for mutual benefit towards enterprise
development, innovation, and international exchange of ideas
and services.
About Far Eastern Economic Review
Since 1946, the
Far Eastern Economic Review has led the way as Asia’s premier
weekly business magazine, providing information and insights
essential to doing business in Asia. An influential audience
of corporate and government decision makers around the world
trusts The Review to deliver timely insight through Asian
intelligence.
With an editorial team of nearly 100 news staff based in 15
bureaus across Asia – the largest news team of any regional
weekly — The Review has the expertise and regional perspective
to provide insightful and forward-looking analysis of news and
developments in Asia. It was awarded the Society of Publishers
in Asia (SOPA) Award for “Excellence in Magazines” in 2002 and
“Excellence in Specialised Reporting” in 2003.
The magazine has a circulation of 100,060 (HKABC Jul – Dec
2002).
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For more information, please contact:
Sharon Ang
EDB Marketing
Communications
Tel: 65 6832 6087
Fax: 65
6336 5763
Email: sharon_ang@edb.gov.sg
Sharon Teo
Dow Jones Corporate
Communications
Tel: 65 6415 4274
Fax: 65 6323
5861
Email: sharon.teo@dowjones.com
|
