By: Nor Azizah Ismail
KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) excelled in winning nine gold and three silver medals at the International Invention, Innovation, and Technology Exhibition 2022 (ITEX) held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from May 26 to 27, 2022.
ITEX is a prestigious international exhibition on inventions and innovations held annually, organised by the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) and C.I.S. ITEX also provides a platform and marketplace for the latest ideas and innovations globally.
President of the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS), Emeritus Prof. Tan Sri Augustine Ong Soon Hock, said ITEX 2022 marked the 33rd year of its organisation, and more than 80% of the innovations that competed in ITEX this time are ready to be commercialised.
ITEX 2022 received more than 500 entries from corporate and international sectors, universities, research institutions, and others involving more than 15 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, and many more.
UPM attracted inventors from inside and outside the country by showcasing the latest innovations and technologies in various professional fields covering agriculture, engineering, social sciences, and biotechnology.
The nine gold medals won were due to the researchers' high level of commitment and dedication to developing the best innovations, namely Hexa-MOFs Fungicides Nanodelivery by Prof. ChM Dr. Mohd Basyaruddin Abdul Rahman from the Faculty of Science, Nanocellulose: A Versatile Nanoadditive by Prof. Ts. Dr. Hidayah Ariffin from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, M’SReD: Durian Rind Shredder for Efficient Biowaste Composting by Prof. Ts. Dr. Rosnah Shamsudin from the Faculty of Engineering, MMTWENTY: Portable Electrochemical Device for Uric Acid Detection by Prof. Dr. Shahrul Ainliah Alang Ahmad from the Faculty of Science, Putra Red: Premium UPM Red Hybrid Tilapia by Prof. Dr. Yuzine Esa from the Faculty of Agriculture, Plant-based extract formulation for controlling sucking insect in agriculture field by Ts. Dr. Norhayu Asib from the Faculty of Agriculture, New Harvesting Machine for Agrivoltaic Herbal Crops Based on Reel-Wheel Rotating Mechanism by Ts. Dr. Mohd Salahuddin Mohd Basri from the Faculty of Engineering, e-Language hunting in Visual and Augmented Dimension: Hunting with e-language by Dr. Ilyana binti Jalaluddin from the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication and Putra Pro-Cut and Putra Fast-Snap Improves Marcotting Propagation Technique by Md Rozaidi Md Yusof from the Putra Agriculture Centre.
Putra Pro-Cut and Putra Fast-Snap Improve Marcotting Propagation Technique received the most encouraging response from ITEX visitors at the UPM showroom. This innovation was developed to facilitate the process of marcot breeding. It is a popular method of crop breeding, and the use of the innovation recorded an increase in productivity of up to 400% and a 50% reduction in work processes. The success of marcot breeding also increased to 91%.
UPM also won three silver medals, further cementing its outstanding achievements. Deputy Director of the Putra Science Park (PSP) Innovation Promotion and Commercialisation Division, UPM, Prof. Dr. Wan Nurhayati Wan Ab Rahman, said UPM once again upheld its tradition of excellence by winning medals for all 12 innovations competed.
"UPM is very committed to producing and commercialising innovations that can benefit the community and the country and welcomes collaboration from industry partners to bring the research outcomes to the market so that the benefits can be shared with all targeted parties," she said.
ITEX 2022 provides a platform for inventors, researchers, designers, and entrepreneurs to showcase their latest inventions, ideas, and prototypes while connecting with industries worldwide.
PSP UPM, as UPM's innovation manager, will continue to ensure that UPM's innovations are showcased to the public and target collaboration with industries to commercialise UPM's best research outcomes.
ITEX 2022 also featured special awards like the ITEX Awards, Asian Invention Excellence Awards, IFIA Awards, Malaysia Innovative Product Awards, Sponsor Awards, and International Awards to celebrate the best innovation and technology while encouraging new businesses and driving the country's economic sector. - UPM
