SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION INDUSTRY
A SYSTEM that will enable an army commander to give real time orders to his troops in the battle field. A method of growing cordyceps where only the part carrying the highest medicinal value will sprout.
These are some of the amazing innovations to become winners at the 2017 Malaysia Commercialisation Year (MCY) Awards to recognise Malaysian entrepreneurs who have successfully commercialised their work after years of research and development.
Among the victorious were National Defence University associate professor Captain (Rtd) Syed Nasir Alsagoff Syed Zakaria and former Malay Regiment soldier Major (Rtd) Ruslan Abdullah.
They emerged overall winner for the MCY Supreme category for showcasing overall excellence and outstanding achievement in all areas of research commercialization.
They also walked away with the Researcher Entrepreneur Award in recognition for their contributions to the innovation industry.
Explaining how their tactical communication system works, Syed Nasir drew comparison from spy thrillers and war movies.
But in reality, the efficiency of current tactical management sys- tems only allows the control centres to have an overview of ground zero – not exact real time views of interiors and face time situations encountered by personnel.
Syed Nasir and Ruslan’s system not only enables control centres to have an individual view from every personnel’s position, it can also detect if a member is in distress and pinpoint exact locations where search and rescue operations can take place.
“We have showed our system to the US Army. They said ours is the most comprehensive they have seen,” said Syed Nasir.
Their communications system which is synced with hardware devices like a Toughpad, handphone and eye camera has been shown at Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference and Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.
The system took six years to develop with a funding of RM1.1mil from the Defence Ministry.
As the fund was exhausted in 2014, Syed Nasir and Ruslan said the total prize money of RM230,000 will come in handy for further research and development.
The Emerging Innovator Award with a prize money of RM130,000 went to Ligno Biotech, a health food company.
Its marketing executive and spokesperson Elly Zulaikha Zamri said the company’s methodology for growing the fruiting body of the cordyceps fungi, which contains the highest medicinal value, had impressed judges.
The method took nine years to develop with the help of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute.
Elly said revenue gained in the form of capsules and raw product was RM81,000 from April to October last year. Projected sales for next year is RM600,000 as the company plans to market them in Indonesia as well as China.
Winners took home a total of RM1mil in cash prizes offered in six categories of the MCY awards this year. Organised by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) in conjunction with the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Community Summit, they received their prizes from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who officiated the summit.
The MCY Awards is part of an initiative by MOSTI and it is implemented through the National Blue Ocean Strategy approach to propel the Science, Technology and Innovation agenda as a key driver towards the 2050 National Transformation.
Minister Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau stressed the research community was a crucial part of the entrepreneurship ecosystem because they bring new ideas and products that would shape the country’s future economy.
“Therefore it is critical that the right stakeholders are assembled to open up a development pathway for entrepreneurs.”
It is critical that the right stakeholders are assembled to open up a development pathway for entrepreneurs. Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau