Reimagining Parkinson’s care

- Hayley Nea Iaduray has been named the Malaysia National Winner of the James Dyson Award 2026.

- Iaduray won for a wearable for Parkinson's patients.

- The invention will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award. The global winners, selected by Sir James Dyson will each receive RM162,999, while national winners are awarded RM27,160 each.

Hayley Nea Iaduray, a 24-year old engineering student from Monash University Malaysia, is the Malaysia National Winner of the James Dyson Award 2026 for her invention, ZeMor.

ZeMor is a tuneable, battery-free wearable device designed to help reduce hand tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease. Inspired by the engineering systems used to stabilise skyscrapers during earthquakes and typhoons, ZeMor applies the same principle on a miniature scale to help reduce involuntary hand tremors.

Parkinson's disease is one of the fastest-growing neurological disorders worldwide, affecting more than twice as many people today compared to 25 years ago¹,². Global researchers projected that the number of people living with Parkinson's could rise to 25.2 million by 2050, driven largely by ageing populations³.

1 World Health Organization (WHO), Parkinson Disease (2023)  

2 World Health Organization (WHO), Launch of Parkinson Disease Technical Brief (2022) 

3 BMJ, Projections for prevalence of Parkinson's disease and its driving factors in 195 countries and territories to 2050 (2025)

The World Brands Foundation holds award ceremonies for The BrandLaureate awards in April

The World Brands Foundation (TWBF) has presented The BrandLaureate Bumiputera BestBrands Awards 2026 alongside The BrandLaureate Fast Moving Growing & Sustainable Business and Brands Awards 2026. 

For The BrandLaureate, each recognition platform is a reaffirmation of brand purpose, principled leadership, and long-term value creation. In today's increasingly discerning environment, brands are defined not only by visibility, but by the strength of their governance, the discipline of their strategy, and the trust they inspire among stakeholders, the company said.

Across the global halal landscape, the progressive growth of bumiputera enterprises and the evolving fast-moving growing and sustainable business and brands (FMGS) sector, branding has become a catalyst for credibility, competitiveness, and sustainable economic contribution.  

The BrandLaureate Bumiputera BestBrands Awards 2026, held under the theme Memperkasa Jenama Bumiputera, Keunggulan Diiktiraf, Prestij Dipertingkat (Empowering the Bumiputera Brand, Excellence Recognized, Prestige Enhanced) celebrates the strength, resilience and growing authority of bumiputera brands. 

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, these brands have demonstrated that strong identity, structured governance and strategic branding are catalysts for sustainable growth, the organisers said. 

This year's recipients include United AsiaPac Energy, Bartech Empire, Dians Signature, Kedai Emas Kamarulhadi (Kaharo Jewels), Normey Holdings, QUL Holdings Malaysia (QHSB), Sahabat Ikhtiar Trading Sdn Bhd (Sahabat Ar Rahnu), Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS).

The BrandLaureate Bumiputera BrandLeadership Award 2026 further recognised  individuals for excellence in leadership, brand building, and industry influence. This year's recipients include Puan Nurul Adlinna Mohammad Bakri, Founder of Bartech Empire and Puan Siti Adira Binti Suhaimi (Adira), a Malaysian singer and entrepreneur.  

"In a world of expanding opportunities and intensifying competition, branding is what elevates a business into a lasting force — it is what makes a brand be seen, heard, known, and remembered," said President Emeritus Professor Dr KK Johan, World President of The World Brands Foundation. 

Source: The BrandLaureate. The World Brands Foundation (TWBF) celebrated The BrandLaureate Bumiputera BestBrands Awards 2026 and The BrandLaureate Fast Moving Growing & Sustainable Business and Brands Awards 2026.

In addition, The BrandLaureate presented The BrandLaureate Fast Moving Growing & Sustainable Business and Brands Awards 2026. This award recognises brands that exemplify resilience, adaptability and sustained growth in an ever-evolving business landscape. In an increasingly competitive environment, these brands have demonstrated strong governance, innovation and strategic agility as key drivers of long-term value creation. 

Awarded organisations include Huachang Growmax, and Medipulih Group (Medipulih Klinik). 

Explore

See the full list of winners and award categories.

Langham Hospitality Group sees Michelin success in Shanghai

Source: Langham Hospitality Group. Steamed grouper
dumpling in matsutake mushroom soup from
T’ang Court at The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi.

The Langham Hospitality Group (LHG) has achieved significant recognition in the MICHELIN Guide Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang 2026. 

T’ang Court at The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi, has been awarded two MICHELIN stars. This marks a new pinnacle for the fine-dining Cantonese restaurant, which first received a star in 2016.

In parallel, Ming Court at Cordis, Shanghai, Hongqiao, has retained its MICHELIN star for the 7th consecutive year.

“T’ang Court’s elevation to two MICHELIN stars is driven by the shared commitment to excellence from both our culinary and service teams. We are equally proud of Ming Court’s consistent performance in retaining its star for seven years. These achievements have cemented the restaurants’ reputations as leading fine-dining destinations in Shanghai,” LHG CEO Bob van den Oord said.

“Our group now proudly holds a total of seven MICHELIN stars across our portfolio, reinforcing our position as a global leader in Cantonese fine dining.” 

Under the leadership of Executive Chinese Chef Tony Su, T’ang Court at The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi honours tradition while embracing modern touches. The restaurant’s serene ambiance, inspired by the Tang dynasty and accented by contemporary art, offers panoramic views of the Xintiandi district.

Chef Su’s craftsmanship is evident in signature seafood, barbecued specialties, and refined dim sum, creating memorable dishes that are rich in both flavour and history. 

At Cordis, Shanghai, Hongqiao, Ming Court continues to be celebrated for its quality and consistency. Led by Executive Chef Paul Qian, the restaurant blends exquisite Cantonese cuisine with a touch of local Shanghainese fare in a refined setting inspired by the glamour of 1920s Shanghai. The restaurant is equally renowned for its exceptional pairings, with an extensive list of wines, sake, rare spirits, single malt whiskies, and Chinese teas.

Orfali Bros Bistro is the best restaurant in MENA for 2025

The 4th Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants awards, hosted in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT), has crowned Orfali Bros Bistro No. 1 for the 3rd consecutive year.

Founded in 2021 by Syrian-born brothers Mohammad, Wassim, and Omar Orfali, Orfali Bros Bistro - which also has a 2024 Michelin star - blends Aleppian heritage with Dubai's dynamic dining scene. The venue was ranked 46th on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023. 

Source: 50 Best via PRNewsfoto: Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 unveiled with Orfali Bros Bistro as the reigning No. 1 restaurant in the region.

Its web page notes: "We’re constantly pushing the boundaries of cooking to discover new flavours and sensations to our food and pastries...Some of our dishes and desserts we have made them again and again, food that we love to eat. We serve them because they link us to our past and remind us of who we are."

Trèsind Studio in Dubai retained its No. 2 spot, followed by Dubai's Kinoya at No. 3.

William Drew, Director of Content for MENA's 50 Best Restaurants said of Orfali Bros Bistro: "Its enduring success is a testament to the talent and passion of the Orfali brothers, whose dedication has earned them a loyal following both locally and internationally. We are also excited to see restaurants from 11 cities represented on this year's list, showcasing the rich variety of cuisines across the region."

- Omar Shihab of Boca won the Icon Award while Boca received the Sustainable Restaurant Award

- Tala Bashmi was recognised as the Estrella Damm N.A. Chefs' Choice 

- Carmen Rueda Hernandez claimed the Middle East & North Africa's Best Pastry Chef Award

- Row on 45 in Dubai was named the Highest Climber, rising 24 spots to No. 17

- Dara Dining by Sara Aqel in Amman, No. 18, also received the Highest New Entry Award.

Details

Browse the list at https://www.theworlds50best.com/mena/en/lists/1-50

IHH Healthcare, NUS, Otis and PSA raise the bar on leadership and workplace mental health

WorkWell Leaders (WWL), a Singapore-based registered charity that focuses on workplace wellbeing and mental health as a strategic ESG and leadership priority in private and public sector companies, has announced the winners of the WorkWell Leaders Awards 2024.

The WorkWell Leaders Awards recognise best practice standards in addressing systemic change at a societal level in the biggest catchment area, the workplace. WWL said that they are the only awards that break out the specific elements of workplace wellbeing that drive business outcomes across separate categories, and also recognise leadership behaviours that underpin cultural change within an organisation.

“Singapore needs to address mental health and wellbeing upstream more urgently in promotion and prevention, in addition to supporting caregivers and individuals with mental wellbeing challenges,” said Founder and Chairperson of WorkWell Leaders, Anthea Ong.

“With 70% of people in Singapore working and spending most of their waking hours at work, the workplace is and must be the catalyst to support workers, and in turn their families.”

In a prerecorded video address, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam urged corporate leaders to: "Make your company a role model, a beacon of a culture of empathy, a culture which provides proactive support to those with different shades of anxiety or depression. Make it an enjoyable place for everyone to work.” 

Source: WorkWell Leaders. President Tharman urged the audience at the awards ceremony to make their companies role models for encouraging employee wellbeing.

To dive deep into the critical role of leadership in supporting mental wellbeing, WorkWell Leaders also announced a new national benchmark to be established that will demonstrate the intersection of the business risks of mental health, the role of leadership and culture on workplace wellbeing and the impact on business outcomes and stakeholder value. 

The charity explained that existing global and local workplace mental health benchmarks, while useful, tend to hone in on perceptions of employee support at an individual level. The WorkWell Leaders benchmark will focus on the status of organisation-wide transformation that delivers worker wellbeing, organisational performance and long-term value for stakeholders.

“Whilst the WorkWell Leaders Awards winners are the vanguard of the urgent cultural shift needed in the workplace, the benchmark will establish the progress of institutional change that we are making collectively to help boards, CEOs and businesses chart their own strategic roadmaps for more resilient and happier employees and work communities for sustainable growth,” said Ong.

The Be Well Awards recognise leadership. The winners are:

- Dr Prem Kumar Nair, Group CEO, IHH Healthcare, for the Wellbeing CEO Award. This award is for the CEO (or equivalent) who has made the biggest impact on their organisation by using their own wellbeing journey to enhance understanding and acceptance in addition to committing to executive sponsorship for workplace wellbeing in vision, leadership actions and investment.

- Clarence Ti, Deputy President, National University of Singapore for the CEO’s Wellbeing Partner Award. This is awarded to the senior partner of the CEO (or equivalent) who has shown the strongest commitment to mental health and wellbeing throughout the organisation by integrating mental wellbeing into strategy through developing, implementing and evaluating programmes to drive better health and business outcomes.

The Lead Well Awards recognise organisation-wide strategies and actions. The winners are:

- PSA Corporation for the Wellbeing Innovation Award. This award recognises an organisation that has developed a unique idea or programme to address wellbeing and mental health challenges for employees.

- National University of Singapore for the ESG Wellbeing Strategy Award. This award recognises an organisation that positions employee wellbeing as a strategic opportunity to drive ESG-led business growth that empowers employees and work communities to thrive.

- Otis International Asia Pacific for the Healthy Workplace Culture Award. This award recognises the unique character and personality of an organisation that enhances a safe and supportive environment where employees thrive by living its values every day.

- The overall Wellbeing Organisation of the Year Award was presented to Otis International Asia Pacific. This award recognises the organisation that has done the most to Be Well and Lead Well to drive change towards a thriving workplace for employees and work communities.

Proceeds from the award ceremony will go towards funding the development of tools and programmes for leaders and organisations to take actions on their employees’ mental health and wellbeing, ultimately building thriving workplaces across Singapore.

Singaporeans place mental health as the biggest health problem (46%) facing the country today (Ipsos). Duke-NUS & IMH found that workplace anxiety and depression are costing the local economy S$15.7 B annually, or approximately 2.9% of GDP.

WorkWell Leaders is an action-oriented network of cross-industry private and public sector leaders. It began in 2018 as an informal working group and became a registered charity in Singapore in November 2022. It is the only non-profit collective of CEOs and leaders to champion mental health and workplace wellbeing as a strategic, leadership and ESG priority to drive better employee experience to benefit communities and society, while delivering positive business results.

Avanade named a top employer in Malaysia, Singapore

Avanade, the Microsoft solutions provider, has been recognised as a 2023 Top Employer in Malaysia and Singapore by the Top Employers Institute.

Source: Avanade. Kapoor.

The Top Employers Institute Programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their Human Resources (HR) Best Practices Survey. The survey saw Avanade recognised for its outstanding standards in every assessment category, including: People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and more.

The programme has certified and recognised 2,052 Top Employers in 121 countries/regions across five continents. 

Bhavya Kapoor, Avanade’s Southeast Asia MD said: “At Avanade, everything we do is driven by our purpose to make a genuine human impact. We believe in doing what matters for our people and the ecosystem – and I’m thrilled that we’re recognised as a Top Employer 2023 in Malaysia and Singapore. As we continue to expand and become the destination for top talent in Southeast Asia, we remain committed towards creating a people-centric culture and environment that provide distinctive experiences, limitless learning opportunities, foster human connections and fuel bold ambitions.”

Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink noted: “Exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations. And we have witnessed this in our Top Employers Certification Programme this year: exceptional performance from the certified Top Employers 2023. These employers have always shown that they care for the development and wellbeing of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work.”

3 Fils is MENA's best restaurant for 2022

Source: MENA's 50 Best Restaurants. 3 Fils restaurant took the No.1 spot at the first-ever Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants awards 2022.

3 Fils in Dubai, UAE, has been named The Best Restaurant in Middle East & North Africa 2022, as part of the Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants awards.

3 Fils, an unlicensed casual and contemporary restaurant located in Dubai's historic Jumeirah Fishing Harbour, was founded in 2016 by two Emiratis and a Singaporean and combines Asian fusion dishes with a personable service style.

William Drew, Director of Content for MENA's 50 Best Restaurants said: "It's a great honour to announce that 3 Fils has made it to No. 1 in the inaugural Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants list. It is a brilliantly executed home-grown restaurant, loved by local residents and visitors alike. This hidden gem prides itself on elevating every dining experience with a sense of comfort, discovery and a shared love of food."

Winners represent 11 different countries across the MENA region, including Kuwait and Qatar, though the majority of the awards went to UAE winners. Lowe in Dubai received the Sustainable Restaurant Award while Trèsind Studio, also in Dubai, won the Art of Hospitality Award. Reif Othman of Reif Kushiyaki in Dubai, was voted by his peers for the Chefs' Choice Award, while Emirati chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi took home the MENA's Best Pastry Chef Award.

Explore: View the winners.

Stevie Awards for Women in Business are open to individuals and organisations worldwide

The Stevie Awards, organiser of premier business awards programmes, has issued a call for entries for the 2020 (17th annual) Stevie Awards for Women in Business. All female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organisations they run, worldwide, are eligible to be nominated.

Honouring organisations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognise outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honour the achievements of working women in more than 100 categories, including Entrepreneur of the Year, Executive of the Year, Mentor or Coach of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Achievement in Equal Pay, Women Helping Women, Employee of the Year, Woman-Owned or -Run Company of the Year and Innovator of the Year.

New this year are COVID-19 response awards categories for individuals, organisations, as well as for marketing and public relations (PR). These categories do not have entry fees, but a US$55/entry late fee will apply for entries submitted after August 19.

COVID-19 response categories include:

- Frontline Medical Hero of the Year

- Education Hero of the Year

- Delivery Hero of the Year

- Public Service Hero of the Year

- Most Exemplary Employer

- Communications or PR Campaign of the Year

- COVID-19-related Information
 
The Marketing and PR Campaign of the Year categories have been greatly expanded for 2020. Startup of the Year categories do not have entry fees; neither do the categories for Government and Non-Profits.

The submission requirements for all categories have been revised and simplified for 2020. Instead of a 650-word essay as in previous years, submissions now require answers to a set of questions, or a video submission up to five minutes in length.

The final entry deadline is August 19, 2020, and late entries will be accepted through to September 16 with payment of a late fee. Winners will be announced on September 29, and the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners will be celebrated at a virtual awards ceremony on December 9.

The 2020 Stevie Awards for Women in Business will be judged by more than 200 professionals around the world. Nominees will have access to all the judges’ comments and suggestions about their nominations.
 
The 2019 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners reflect a diverse group of large and small organisations around the globe. Winners in the Asia Pacific Middle East region included, among others:

- Alia Koudsi, Key Account Certified International Specialist, DHL Express, United Arab Emirates

- Siti Choiriana, Consumer Service Director, Telekom Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia

- Oanh Phuong, Regional Head of Customer Support, HP, Asia-Pacific and Japan

- Seda Kalyoncu, Senior VP of Corporate Communications, Turkish Airlines, Istanbul, Turkey

- Law on Earth, Brisbane, Australia

- Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, Singapore

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programmes, including the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, The International Business Awards, the Middle East Stevie Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organisations in more than 70 nations.

Details:

Get the entry kit

Call for submissions: the Zayed Sustainability Prize

Zayed Sustainability Prize, UAE's pioneering global award for sustainability, invites innovators from around the world to submit entries for the 13th edition of the award. Winners of each category will receive US$600,000 to further implement their sustainability solutions to transform lives around the world.

HE Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Director General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize says: “With a 12-year record of recognising and rewarding excellent solutions, we are confident the Prize will continue to attract more of the world’s most dedicated innovators to submit their entries, in support of resolving the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.”

“Inspired by Sheikh Zayed’s legacy of commitment to global sustainability and humanitarianism, the Prize also aligns with the emphasis our leadership has given this year to planning, preparing and finding solutions for the next 50 years,” he added.

Accepting entries until 11 June 2020 via its online portal, the Prize received a record 2,373 entries from 129 countries last year. There are five categories – Health, Food, Energy, Water and Global High Schools, with innovative solutions in sustainable and humanitarian development recognised across these sectors.

The Prize’s US$3 million annual fund rewards winners US$600,000 in each category. While the scope of the submissions vary, core elements of each entry lie in the innovative ways in which technology, applications and solutions are driving positive transformations of people’s lives.

For the Health, Food, Energy and Water categories, organisations should demonstrate that they are improving access to essential products or services and have a long-term vision for improved living and working conditions. Only small and medium enterprises (SMEs) or non-profit organisations (NPOs) are eligible to take part in these categories.

The Prize has named 86 winners in its history. One of them is water management company, ECOSOFTT, which became the first organisation from Singapore to receive the award when it won the Water category in 2019. ECOSOFTT’s technologies enable water sustainability through total management of the water cycle for living communities, including townships, homes, commercial buildings and villages.

Prior to winning, over 50 projects in five countries gave more than 500,000 people access to clean water. The prize money has allowed the company to reach even more communities. Marcus Lim, Co-Founder and MD at ECOSOFTT, said, “The Zayed Sustainability Prize has gained a reputation for recognising leading sustainability solutions globally. Winning the Prize was an important recognition of our unique and innovative approach to address the challenges communities face on account of water shortage, scarcity and quality.

"It has also helped us to connect with a global network of influencers and innovators that are working towards the Sustainable Development Goals."

This year, the Zayed Sustainability Prize also opens up nominations for potential candidates with its #FindThePioneer campaign – to recognise pioneers who are changing lives in any of the five competition categories. Nominations can be made by tagging the organisation or school in a social media post with the campaign hashtag #FindThePioneer, or emailing the nomination to press@affluencepr.media.
Winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2021 will be announced at the annual awards ceremony held during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2021.

Submissions are open for the 2020 Global Corporate Sustainability Awards

Source: GCSA organisers. GCSA winners for 2019 at the GCSF in 2019.

Companies with an outstanding commitment to sustainable development are invited to enter the 2020 Global Corporate Sustainability Awards (GCSA).

2020 GCSA is hosted by the Alliance for Sustainable Development Goals (A•SDGs), co-organised by Taiwan Academy of Corporate Sustainability (TACS), Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), and Center for Corporate Sustainability (CCS). The awards embrace the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the UN’s 2030 agenda.

GCSA has four key objectives:

- Promoting corporate sustainability principles and SDG practices.

- Recognising corporate efforts toward sustainable development.

 - Honouring companies that provide complete disclosure of economic, environmental, social and governmental performance and clearly communicate sustainability performance and impacts through sustainability reporting.
 
- Encouraging individuals who contribute to positive impacts and accomplish outstanding successes in sustainability.

GCSA offers awards and recognition in three major categories: Outstanding Professional, Sustainability Reporting, and Best Practice.

GCSA-Outstanding Professional highlights exemplary individuals who have made outstanding contributions to sustainable development within their respective organisations. Individuals can be nominated for this award by government agencies, corporations, or academic organisations.

GCSA-Sustainability Reporting rewards those corporations that disclose information in their corporate social responsibility reports that is complete, reliable, and transparent.

GCSA-Best Practice recognises outstanding performance in sustainable development business practices and projects.



Past winners have included Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) from the US, Siemens from Germany, ASUSTeK from Taiwan, GSB from Thailand, Vale Indonesia and JANAJAL from India.

Details:

Registration is currently open and closes on 10 August 2020. The results will be announced on 4 October 2020. The awards ceremony is planned for 18 November 2020 during the 3rd Global Corporate Sustainability Forum (GCSF) in Taipei, Taiwan.

Call for entries are open at the first-ever HUAWEI Film Awards

• Film-makers from the Asia Pacific region are to be rewarded for films shot on Huawei smartphones

• Grand prize includes US$20,000 and a trip to Bangkok for the awards ceremony

• Film screening event in Singapore on 21 December showcases local director Boris Boo’s work

Source: Huawei. Poster for the HFA.

Huawei has announced its inaugural film awards, HUAWEI Film Awards (HFA), in the Asia Pacific region to encourage and inspire film-makers and content creators to showcase their creativity through stories filmed using Huawei smartphones that contain top-of-the-line mobile camera technology.

Themed Empowering Your Possibilities, the HFA will kick off in Singapore with an event at SCAPE on 21 December from 6 pm. Local director Boris Boo will be the guest of honour, with one of his own films premiering at the event.

Through the HFA, Huawei hopes to play a part in driving innovation and creativity within filmmaking through the use of smartphones, and highlight how mobile filmography is possible with advanced technology progression that fits complex camera capabilities in a smartphone camera.

“The HUAWEI Film Awards is an Asia-Pacific festival dedicated to celebrating work shot on any Huawei mobile phone, with the goal of uncovering and supporting the talents of tomorrow. The festival aims to nurture the interest of local creative talents in smartphone film production by expanding their scope and freedom to create breathtaking films, thus providing them an entryway into the world of smartphone filmmaking,” said Phil Xu, MD of Consumer Business Group Singapore.

“We hope this platform will enhance collaboration between local film makers, content creators and talents, encouraging them to share new filming knowledge, showcase smartphone cinematography skills, and gain recognition at national and regional levels.”

The HFA is now calling for entries from smartphone film-makers and content creators from now till 25 February 2020 (11:59 pm, GMT+8). Submissions must be filmed entirely on a Huawei mobile phone with a running time within 10 minutes, following the theme Empowering Your Possibilities.

Judges will include five prominent trailblazers in the film and broadcasting scene: Malaysian film and television producer and screenwriter Adele Lim, Thai postmodern author Prabda Yoon, and Rajay Singh, senior founder partner of film and TV commercial production company Directors Think Tank. Joining them are Alex Lin, Asia Pacific President of Huawei Consumer Business Group, and Chris Humphrey, who oversees regional broadcasting at A+E Networks.

The winner of the APAC Best Film at the HFA receives US$20,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to Bangkok, Thailand for the awards ceremony. The winners of HFA will be announced regionally on 6 March 2020. The lineup of awards include APAC Best Director, APAC Best Cinematography, APAC Best Actor (Male or Female), and Country Level Best Film. Winners of all categories will receive a trophy and certificate. The winner of Country Level Best Film in Singapore will also walk away with additional prizes.

Details:

Get more details on HFA participation

Register for the Singapore launch event. Registration slots are limited, and reserved for Huawei mobile phone users, who may bring along a friend. Every successful registrant receives a complimentary HUAWEI FreeBuds Lite (worth S$188) at the door.

Winners for MRM Business Award and MRM Business Innovation Award announced

Source: Dubai Chamber. HH Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum
honoured winners of the 10th MRM Awards.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, who is also Chairman & Chief Executive of the Emirates Airline & Group, has honoured the winners of the 10th Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MRM) Business Award and the 2nd MRM Business Innovation Award in Dubai, UAE.

The awards ceremony, held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The MRM Business Award, which is part of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, was presented to:

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB);
Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (ADNIC);
Al Khaleej Sugar Company;
All Food For Food Stuff;
Apparel Group;
Arabian Automobiles Company;
ASGC Construction;
British Orchard Nursery;
China State Construction Engineering Corporation (Middle East);
Doka Gulf;
Gulf Extrusions;
Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC);
Jindal Shadeed Iron & Steel;
Network International;
RAK Hospital;
Tablix Technology;
TASC Outsourcing; and
Transguard Group.

The MRM Business Innovation Award was presented to:

Al Ansari Exchange;
ALEC Engineering and Contracting;
Almajdouie Logistics Company;
ASGC Construction;
Aster Pharmacy Group;
DuBox;
ENOC Retail;
Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC);
Jebel Ali Free Zone;
Network International;
Samsotech;
Sharjah Islamic Bank; and
Transguard Group.

Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Co. (GPIC) was presented with the Outstanding Award for Business Excellence, while the Outstanding Award for Business Innovation went to ENOC Retail.

HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of judging panel for the MRM Business Award and MRM Business Innovation Award, said the MRM Business Awards have fostered a culture of excellence within business communities in the UAE and GCC, facilitated the adoption of best practices and raised industry standards. He noted that the MRM Business Innovation Award, which was launched in 2015 by Dubai Chamber and the UAE Ministry of Economy during the Year of Innovation, reflects the vision of the UAE’s leadership to encourage companies to make innovation a major part of their organisational cultures.

HE Al Mansoori said the second cycle of the MRM Business Innovation Award registered a 21% increase in the number of participants, reflecting the growing importance that companies in the region attach to innovation excellence.

Source: Dubai Chamber. HE Al Ghurair.

In welcome remarks, HE Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: “Since the establishment of the MRM Business Awards, we have worked to develop and improve the award programme in line with the changing needs of maturing business communities in the UAE and GCC. I am very proud at the progress that has been achieved by the outstanding companies that have participated in the programme to date.”

Dubai Chamber’s Chairman explained that the awards have served as a catalyst for enhancing business performance and boosting innovation activity on a regional level. He revealed that more than 1,800 companies have benefitted from the award programme since its establishment while 181 winning companies have been recognised for their outstanding achievements.

During the ceremony, HE Al Ghurair launched the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Customer Excellence Award, a new award under the MRM Business Awards platform. The award aims to recognise the efforts of outstanding companies and organisations in the UAE and GCC that are adopting innovative strategies to improve customer experiences.

“The MRM Customer Excellence Award will provide companies with another incentive to apply and participate in the MRM Business Award programme, enhance their customer approach and adopt best practices in line with international standards. The launch of this award stems from our strong belief that customer experience is among the most crucial factors impacting business performance,” said HE Al Ghurair.

HE Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber and Chairman of the Steering Committee for the MRM Business Award said: “Over the years, the MRM Business Awards have become benchmarks for business and innovation excellence and they remain the highest level of recognition in these areas within the GCC. With UAE Innovation Month upon us, it is an opportune time to put the spotlight on the outstanding companies we are recognising today that are driving innovation in a wide range of economic sectors.”

HE Buamim noted Dubai Chamber had received an overwhelming number of strong applications for both awards, with a 46% increase in the number of applications. He added that the awards support Dubai Chamber’s efforts to fulfill the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VP and PM of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and lead the business community to a brighter future.

Sustainable Business Awards Singapore 2019 open for registration

The Sustainable Business Awards (SBA) Singapore 2019 is open for registration.

In its 8th year, the SBA recognises and rewards companies for their sustainability performance. The awards aim to increase awareness of sustainable business best practices and demonstrate how sustainable business benefits companies, the environment and all stakeholders. The platform guides companies through the process – and rewards them along the way to becoming truly sustainable businesses.  

SBA is organised by Global Initiatives in partnership with PwC Singapore, Control Union, ACCA and BCSD. There are awards for Indonesia and Malaysia as well.

Details:

Check eligibility

Zayed Sustainability Prize 2019 holds award ceremony

Source: PRNewsfoto/Zayed Sustainability Prize. The Zayed Sustainability Prize award ceremony 2019. HH Sheikh Mohamed handed the prizes to 10 winners across the categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water and Global High Schools, which was held within Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, ADSW.The ceremony was also attended by HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu HH Dhabi Executive Council; HH Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy PM and Minister of Presidential Affairs; HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; and HH Sheikh Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, and a number of senior ministers and officials.

HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, UAE and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VP, PM and Ruler of Dubai, alongside leaders and representatives from the winners' countries, have presented awards to the 10 winners of the 2019 Zayed Sustainability Prize.

HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed congratulated the winners and praised their efforts and valuable contribution to support sustainable development. He encouraged them to keep up the good work to find innovative and sustainable solutions to address current and future global challenges.

He also praised their creative ideas and efforts that have contributed to the economic and social development of their countries and regions.

"This year's awards mark a significant milestone in the history of the prize and the UAE. Throughout 2018, we saw the nation unite in commemoration of the UAE's Founding Father, with the Year of Zayed. The celebrations inspired the prize's evolution to recognise a wider scope of globally impactful solutions to address the world's sustainability challenges," said HH Sheikh Mohamed.

"Under the leadership of President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the legacy of Sheikh Zayed's values continues to shape our global vision for development that is sustainable and inclusive, which we will celebrate throughout 2019 as the Year of Tolerance."

"By identifying work across sectors that are the cornerstones to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the prize presents an unparallelled global platform for ideas that have the power to benefit humankind and our planet. Through the wider impact created in the areas of healthcare, food security, energy access, as well as water and sanitation, we are uniquely positioned to embolden and empower a new generation of pioneers to create exciting innovations that will change the lives of millions of underprivileged people around the world."

The 2019 prize honours leaders whose work and spirit of enterprise has resulted in working solutions across communities around the world. Organisations , including small and medium-sized enterprises and non-profits, were invited to submit existing solutions that have already demonstrated a positive impact.

In the Health category, We Care Solar received the award for its Solar Suitcase, a portable maternity device to assist with childbirth and related medical services in off-grid rural areas. The unit brings together light, fetal monitoring and communications equipment and has already helped 1.8 million people by assisting doctors, midwives and medical professionals by providing emergency obstetric care across 3,325 health facilities in Africa.

Sanku, the winner in the Food category, was recognised for its flour fortification machines that equip and incentivise small-scale, local millers to fortify their flour with nutrients using innovative technology. Sanku has currently installed 150 fortification machines in flour mills across East Africa.

In the Energy category, BBOXX, an energy solutions provider, was recognised for its plug-and-play solar device, offering users an on-grid experience in an off-grid setting. BBOXX has installed over 160,000 solar home systems across Africa, South America and the Pacific region, connecting over 675,000 people with clean, affordable energy solutions, and offsetting an approximate 87,000 tonnes of CO² each year.

ECOSOFTT, the winner in the Water category, was awarded for its decentralised community water management standard, which outlines a set of solutions for source management, water use, water recycling and discharge. It has implemented over 50 projects in five countries and provided more than 200,000 people access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

The Global High Schools category seeks to inspire young minds and encourage entries based on concepts or proposed projects they can implement with the award's prize money. The category, which was introduced in 2012, expanded this year from five to six schools, with each representing a specific world region. Participating schools submitted a project proposal that addressed one or more of the four sustainability challenges: health, food, energy or water.

The recipients of the award for the 2019 Global High Schools category were: The Impact School (Guatemala), representing The Americas; Gymnasium Goethe (Tajikistan), representing Europe & Central Asia; American School of Dubai (UAE), representing the Middle East and North Africa region; African Leadership Academy (South Africa), representing Sub-Saharan Africa; SECMOL (India), representing South Asia; and Muntinlupa National High School (The Philippines), representing East Asia & Pacific.

Chair of the Zayed Sustainability Prize jury and former President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, said, "I would like to thank the UAE leadership for their foresight, 10 years ago, in establishing such an award. Through their commitment to its ideals and goals, the Zayed Sustainability Prize's new and broadened mandate facilitates a continuation of its reach, while transforming the lives of vulnerable communities across the world.

"The prize is a significant vehicle for generating support and advocacy for the global sustainability agenda and while we congratulate the 2019 prize winners, I would also like to recognise all entrants, shortlisted candidates, and finalists - as they have all demonstrated a clear passion and dedication towards creating a more sustainable future."

Dr Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Director-General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, said, "The Zayed Sustainability Prize aligns with our Founding Father's holistic, humanitarian vision and will build on the positive impact of the precursor, the Zayed Future Energy Prize. The prize's evolution and the expansion of the categories has resulted in record interest and we are particularly energised by the extraordinary work, passion and innovation taking place around the world to identify the most impactful solutions to global challenges.

"We congratulate the winners of the 2019 Zayed Sustainability Prize. The prize's success relies on a collaboration between all stakeholders - from governments and industry to the ingenuity and inventiveness at the grassroots. We continue to be inspired by their creativity and enthusiasm as they pursue sustainability-led solutions to achieving the global goals."

Since the prize was awarded for the first time in 2009, winners have had a direct and indirect impact on the lives of more than 307 million people around the world and have been able to contribute significantly towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 1 billion tons. They have also saved 1.2 billion megawatts of clean energy, while expanding access to energy to 27.5 million people in some of the poorest communities in Africa and Asia.

Winners announced for FinTech Awards

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) have awarded 12 fintech companies a total of S$1.2 million at the FinTech Awards, which took place at the 3rd Singapore FinTech Festival.

This year’s winning solutions have a greater ASEAN representation* and focus on financial inclusion, spanning multiple business areas, such as credit-scoring, mobile security, anti-money laundering and digital investment.

The 12 awardees are:

ASEAN Open Award**

1st place (S$150,000) – LenddoEFL (Philippines), for its alternative data credit score

2nd place (S$100,000) – SQREEM Technologies (Singapore)

3rd place (S$50,000) – Finantix Asia Pacific (Singapore), which received

ASEAN SME Award** 

1st place (S$150,000) – FinAccel Teknologi (Indonesia), for Kredivo, a digital credit card designed for Indonesian Millennials

2nd place (S$100,000) – Katipult (Thailand)

3rd place (S$50,000) – MoneyMatch Transfer (Malaysia)

Singapore Founder Award**

1st place (S$150,000) – CCRManager, for its cloud-based platform of the same name that supports the distribution of trade finance assets by financial institutions

2nd place (S$100,000) – Cynopsis Solutions

3rd place (S$50,000) – Thin Margin

Global Award**

1st place (S$150,000) – Everspin (South Korea), for Eversafe, a mobile application security solution based on its Dynamic Security Module Technology.

2nd place (S$100,000) – Naffa Innovations (India)

3rd place (S$50,000) – Keychain (Japan)

The FinTech Awards, supported by PwC, recognises innovative fintech solutions that have been implemented by fintech companies, financial institutions and technology companies. Entries were evaluated based on four criteria: impact, practicality, interoperability, and uniqueness and creativity.
This year, 40 finalists were shortlisted from more than 280 global submissions including the companies who participated in the ASEAN PitchFest***.

The ASEAN PitchFest, powered by PwC, was launched this year to recognise innovative talent in ASEAN countries. The nine winners participated in the final round of the FinTech Awards.

Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer, MAS, said, “We are delighted to see more talent in the region coming through the new ASEAN PitchFest and to observe how the winners are applying fintech solutions to a wide range of business areas."

Mrs Ong-Ang Ai Boon, Director, ABS added, “This is yet another feather in the cap for the third edition of the Festival in harnessing the power of the talented fintech game changers.” 

*In conjunction with Singapore’s ASEAN chairmanship this year, the scope of the FinTech Awards’ SME and Open categories included ASEAN companies outside Singapore. 

**Criteria for the ASEAN Open Award: ASEAN-based companies of any size. The company must have a physical office registered in at least one ASEAN country, and the solution must have been implemented in at least one ASEAN country. The Open category allows companies of any size to participate, such as financial institutions and large technology vendors (e.g. Google). 

Criteria for the ASEAN SME Award: ASEAN-based small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs, as defined by Enterprise Singapore, are enterprises with an annual sales turnover of not more than S$100 million OR an employment size of not more than 200 workers. Enterprises qualify as SMEs as long as they satisfy at least one of the two parameters.

Criteria for the Singapore Founder Award: Singapore-based SMEs with at least one Singaporean founder. The term ‘founder’ is defined as an individual who was instrumental in setting up the SME. There is no need for majority share-ownership. The SME must have a physical office registered in Singapore, and the solution must have been implemented in Singapore.

Note on the Global Award: One of the awards in the Global category is given by The Association of Banks in Singapore. 

Malaysia announces award winners for Low Carbon Cities Framework Awards 2018

Source: MESTECC. MGTC's CEO, Dr. Mohd Azman (centre) with Diamond Recognition recipients.

The Low Carbon Cities Framework (LCCF) Awards were presented to 12 local authorities and a university in Malaysia this month.

LCCF is a national low carbon framework for cities which was developed by the Malaysia Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC), formerly known as the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Malaysia; and the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) under the Smart Sustainable Cities flagship, to facilitate, guide and assess the development of low carbon cities throughout Malaysia and support its goal of becoming a green nation by 2020.

The LCCF also assists local authorities, developers and universities to achieve low carbon status, providing tools to implement strategies that will reduce their carbon emissions in phases.

Three of the local suthorities received the Diamond Recognition Award at IGEM 2018 in acknowledgement of their efforts in reducing their levels of carbon emission based on their action plans.

At the end of 2017, Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA), Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK) and Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Prai (MPSP) successfully reduced a combined 4,268.15 tCO₂* in emissions. This was achieved through building energy efficiency, waste recycling, providing low carbon mobility solutions and substantive tree planting in their cities.

Provisional Certificate recipients were recognised for fulfilling the baseline assessment within their working systems. Under the stipulations of the certificate, a comprehensive action plan must be developed and then implemented in the next couple of years.

LCCF is a performance-based system that measures a city’s environmental impact. It looks at the total carbon emissions of a city across four key elements; urban infrastructure, urban environment, urban transportation and buildings.

Realising the importance of measuring performance of cities and townships vis a vis CO₂ emission levels of the country, LCCF was established to inspire stakeholders and users to participate in the mitigation of climate change through a real time carbon abatement measure.

For this year’s award recipients at IGEM 2018 are:

LCCF Diamond Recognition

• Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA)

• Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK)

• Majlis Perbandaran Seberan Prai (MPSP)

LCCF Provisional Certificate

• Majlis Perbandaran Bentong

• Majlis Perbandaran Kajang

• Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang

• Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya

• Majlis Perbandaran Batu Pahat

• Majlis Perbandaran Langkawi

• Majlis Perbandaran Selayang

• Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang

• Majlis Perbandaran Jasin

• UNIMAS, Sarawak

From 2011 till 2018, five local authorities and two universities received the Diamond Recognition award and 19 local authorities and three universities received the Provisional Certificate. As of October 2018, 28 other local authorities have also begun the process of LCCF by attending training and working out the proper structures at the local authority level.

Private developers of townships and industrial parks such as Selangor Bio Bay, Malaysia Vision Valley and Iskandar Halal Park are also beginning to adopt LCCF and move towards low carbon developments.

LCCF aims to get the 52 local authorities from the major urban areas to begin the journey towards low-carbon cities by 2020. This effort will drive Malaysia’s commitment towards reducing our CO₂ emissions intensity of up to 45% by 2030.

The latest IPCC Report has outlined the need for immediate and concrete global action towards reducing CO₂ emissions. The time for action is now and through LCCF, Malaysia has a strong foundation to build on to push towards a low carbon nation.

The award presentation was graced by the Honourable Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Azhar Bin Haji Yahaya, Secretary General, MESTECC. Also, present were Asdirhyme Bin Abdul Rasib, Senior Undersecretary for Energy Sector, MESTECC and Dr Mohd Azman Bin Zainul Abidin, CEO, GreenTech Malaysia.

*TCO2 or total CO₂ is a measure of carbon dioxide that includes CO₂ as we know it as well as CO₂ in other forms including bicarbonate (HCO₃), carbonate (CO₃) and carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).

MESTECC recognises 10 Malaysia Commercialisation Year award winners

Malaysia Commercialisation Year Award winners have been announced for 2018. The Malaysia Commercialisation Year Award, which the Malaysia Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change (MESTECC) introduced in 2016, is aimed at recognising, appreciating and motivating local R&D talents to penetrate local and international markets.

This year, MESTECC assessed 212 products in terms of technological and commercial readiness and arrived at 27 finalists who had to pitch their products to a panel of judges. There are 10 winners for the MCY Award 2018, a main winner and a consolation winner for each of five categories:

Commercial Deal Award criteria:

- Excellence in research commercialisation

- Outstanding innovation performance

- Innovative nature of the deal; and

- Potential for generating significant economic impact for Malaysia.

Source: MESTECC. DERMAGS skincare.

DERMAGS Skincare 
Biopro Cosmeceutical, a UTM spinoff and a Technology Park Malaysia (TPM) incubatee
Main winner, Commercial Deal Award 2018 

DERMAGS skincare products use alpha mangostin, an extract from mangosteen skin, delivered in niosomes - the effective ingredient is encapsulated in a 'vesicle' to prolong delivery. The products have been successfully exported abroad to Singapore, China, and India. The estimated commercialisation value up to September 2018 is RM 6.3 million.

Source: MESTECC. Detachable
electrical sockets.

Detachable Electrical Extension Socket 
Far East Pyramid
Consolation winner, Commercial Deal Award

This product is available in stores such as Harvey Norman and e-commerce platforms such as Lazada.

Research & Business Partnership Award criteria:

- Working relationship between a research organisation and businesses;

- Commercial value for Malaysia; and

- Joint development/collaborations between research organisations and businesses

RESCUE-I Monitoring System 
Petronas University of Technology (UTP) and Syarikat Semarak Motivation
Main winner, Business Research & Partnership Award 

Syarikat Semarak Motivation specialises in security engineering. RESCUE-I Monitoring System is a digital intelligent control system developed specifically for rescuers to monitor physiological activity during a rescue operation. This real-time system integrates software modules, hardware sensors and data communications via radio networks.

This product has been successfully tested by the Fire and Rescue Academy of Malaysia and provides rescuers with more confidence even in high-risk areas.

Figs: From Farm to product 

Source: MESTECC. Fig-based products.

Figsdirect, collaborating with the Malaysian Agricultural Research And Development Institute's (MARDI's) R&D
Consolation winner, Research Business and Partnerships Award 

These fig-based products are rich in bioactive material. The product is ideal for people with diabetes, eczema or other skin problems and may also attract consumers who are looking for sunnah-related functional foods**.

Researcher Entrepreneur Award criteria:

Recognising an entrepreneurial researcher who has made outstanding contributions to business innovation or has created innovative businesses in Malaysia through technology licensing, startup creation or by providing expertise to support business innovation.

Versatile Graphene 
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
Main winner, Research Entrepreneur Award 

Researchers from UPM can produce large volumes of graphene directly from graphite with simpler, cheaper, environmentally-friendly methods. The graphene can be used in gloves, inkjet printer ink, oil absorbers as well as batteries and super-capacitors. The commercialisation value of this product for 2018 has been estimated at RM86,000.

QuikHalal Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
Consolation winner, Research Entrepreneur Award

Source: MESTECC. The QuikHalal logo.

A halal auditing application that reduces the complexity, time and cost of halal auditing processes. The app can capture photos from mobile devices and automatically generate halal compliance reports. The estimated commercialisation value of this product for 2018 is RM100,900.

As of 2018, the app has 25 local users. UTM plans to further develop the app to support countries with Islamic-friendly hospitality industries like Thailand, Korea, Japan and Indonesia.

Emerging Innovator Award criteria:

Recognising an upcoming entrepreneurial researcher who is making outstanding contributions to business innovation or is creating innovative businesses in Malaysia through technology licensing, startup creation or by providing expertise to support business innovation.

Emergency Evacuation System 
Anderes Fourdy
Main winner, Emerging Innovator Award

This RFID Ultra High Frequency-based platform solves the problem of manual tabulation during emergencies and can identify trapped victims inside a building. The system has been implemented at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center and also at Petronas Twin Tower 1. There is interest from other organisations, including Petronas Twin Tower 2 and Maxis Tower. The estimated commercialisation value of this product for 2018 is RM1,162,380.

STRIX Nest Fully Autonomous Unmanned Aerial System & Ground Sensor 
Precision Agriculture Robotics, a TPM incubatee
Consolation winner, Emerging Innovator Award 

Source: MESTECC. STRIX Nest.

The product is an autonomous air system capable of collecting agricultural data and aquaculture at low cost.

Social Entrepreneur Award criteria:

- Product that caters to social needs; and

- Transformative social change through the application of innovative and practical approaches / technology to benefit society overall

UNIMAS Crab House 
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
Main winner, Social Entrepreneur Award 

This innovation aims to increase income for the B40 population band*, especially fishermen during the monsoon season. The product has low-cost construction, and is designed to be easy to monitor and control. A mobile app complements operations and creates a digital management monitoring system. The estimated revenue in 2018 for this product is RM58,800.

Source: MESTECC. Battery Pack C13.

Battery Pack C13
Conjunto Thirteen
Consolation winner, Social Entrepreneur Award 

This product can generate electricity without the need for oil or gas. This product can also be used during blackouts, for camping and also during natural disasters. Estimated revenues for 2018 run to RM95,000.

Today, winners receive support for: 

• Design including physical design and packaging

• Accreditation, certification, a technology audit and market research

• Incubation including mentoring

• Advisory services related to product development, financial management and intellectual property; and

• Participation in local and foreign exhibitions.

The main winners each receive RM130,000, 50% in cash and 50% in facilitation services. Consolation winners receive RM50,000, also half in cash and the rest in facilitation services.

While only 10% of the winners from previous years were from universities, academic institutions are catching up in 2018. Out of the 10 winners, four are from local universities (UPM, UNIMAS, UTM and UTP); three are companies from Technology Park Malaysia, one is a private company and one is a research institute (MARDI).

To date, MCY Award winners have exported their products worldwide. BNetwork, which won the Research Entrepreneur Award 2016 for its bWave IoT Platform for securing smart homes, has successfully held discussions with businesses in Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and the Middle East for domestic and regional markets with contracts until the year 2020.

CAISER (Computer Assisted Intelligent Event Processor) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), which won the Emerging Innovator Award 2016, is used in a vehicle monitoring system in Singapore and for a water quality notification system in South Africa as well as by local agencies in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

AnanoCoat, the winner of the Commercial Deal Award 2017, is the result of research by Universiti Sains Malaysia. The product uses photocatalysm (light-based stimulation) to decompose organic compounds, kill bacteria, eliminate odours and stunt the growth of fungi and viruses. After commercialisation by Ananosphere, a TPM incubatee, AnanoCoat is seeing sales on Alibaba.com.

Malaysia Commercialisation Year was first initiated in 2016. As of August 2018, 303 products have been successfully commercialised, accounting for sales turnover of RM290.88 million. The main target of MCY is to boost research, development and innovation (R, D & I) results from local research institutions as wealth generator through commercialisation process. MCY is also a platform to raise awareness of stakeholders and the people about the potential of innovation and commercialisation in raising the nation's revenue.

As part of the MCY Special KPIs, research institutes, universities and related technology development agencies have collectively pledged to commercialise up to 360 products/technologies from various categories by the year 2020.

They are supported by the Second Wave of MCY 2.0 (2017-2019), which focuses on:

- Strengthening the commercialisation ecosystem;

- Expanding cooperation with strategic partners from industry, states and international government; and

- Expanding markets for local research, development, commercialisation and innovation (R, D, C & I) regionally and internationally.

*B40 refers to the bottom 40% of household income earners.There are three population bands, with T20 being the top 20% of income earners and M40 the middle 40% of household income earners.

**A functional food is one which has health-giving properties.

Michelin awards three stars to La Yeon in Seoul

The Shilla Seoul's flagship restaurant, La Yeon, has been awarded three Michelin stars for a third consecutive year. A traditional Korean fine-dining restaurant, La Yeon offers authentic flavours and creative interpretations of time-honoured recipes.

Since opening in 2013, La Yeon has earned global attention for its service, ambience, and sophisticated menu. It was the first Korean restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin three-star rating. The restaurant has distinguished itself with premium, Korean-grown ingredients procured from exclusive sources around the country. The menu at La Yeon refreshes every three months to reflect the changing seasons and produce, placing emphasis on freshness and provenance.

La Yeon’s three-star recognition is a testament to the team’s pursuit of culinary excellence. “It is an exceptional honour to be acknowledged by the Michelin Guide for a third consecutive year,” says Executive Chef Kim Sung Il.

Source: Shilla website. Dish from La Yeon.

“In recent years, Korean cuisine has gained recognition for its seasonal flavours and refined techniques. This latest Michelin honour is a validation of our team’s commitment to preserving and showcasing traditional Korean recipes.”

Details:

Call La Yeon at +82 2 2230 3367 or visit the Shilla website.

Low Carbon Cities Framework awards handed out at IGEM 2018

The Low Carbon Cities Framework (LCCF) Awards were presented to 12 local authorities and a university in Malaysia this month at International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM). A local authority is a county, city or district public sector organisation in Malaysia.

LCCF is a national low carbon framework for cities which was developed by the Malaysia Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC), formerly known as the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Malaysia; and the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (MGTC) under the Smart Sustainable Cities flagship, to facilitate, guide and assess the development of low carbon cities throughout Malaysia and support its goal of becoming a green nation by 2020.

The LCCF also assists local authorities, developers and universities to achieve low carbon status, providing tools to implement strategies that will reduce their carbon emissions in phases.

Three of the local suthorities received the Diamond Recognition Award at IGEM 2018 in acknowledgement of their efforts in reducing their levels of carbon emission based on their action plans.

At the end of 2017, Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA), Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK) and Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Prai (MPSP) successfully reduced a combined 4,268.15 tCO₂* in emissions. This was achieved through building energy efficiency, waste recycling, providing low carbon mobility solutions and substantive tree planting in their cities.

Provisional Certificate recipients were recognised for fulfilling the baseline assessment within their working systems. Under the stipulations of the certificate, a comprehensive action plan must be developed and then implemented in the next couple of years.

LCCF is a performance-based system that measures a city’s environmental impact. It looks at the total carbon emissions of a city across four key elements; urban infrastructure, urban environment, urban transportation and buildings.

Realising the importance of measuring performance of cities and townships vis a vis CO₂ emission levels of the country, LCCF was established to inspire stakeholders and users to participate in the mitigation of climate change through a real time carbon abatement measure.

For this year’s award recipients at IGEM 2018 are:

Source: MGTC. MGTC's CEO, Dr Mohd Azman Bin Zainul Abidin (centre) with Diamond Recognition recipients. The award presentation was also graced by the Honourable Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Azhar Bin Haji Yahaya, Secretary General, MESTECC. Asdirhyme Bin Abdul Rasib, Senior Undersecretary for Energy Sector, MESTECC was also in attendance.

LCCF Diamond Recognition

• Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA)

• Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK)

• Majlis Perbandaran Seberan Prai (MPSP)

LCCF Provisional Certificate

• Majlis Perbandaran Bentong

• Majlis Perbandaran Kajang

• Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang

• Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya

• Majlis Perbandaran Batu Pahat

• Majlis Perbandaran Langkawi

• Majlis Perbandaran Selayang

• Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang

• Majlis Perbandaran Jasin

• UNIMAS, Sarawak

From 2011 till 2018, five local authorities and two universities received the Diamond Recognition award and 19 local authorities and three universities received the Provisional Certificate. As of October 2018, 28 other local authorities have also begun the process of LCCF by attending training and working out the proper structures at the local authority level.

Private developers of townships and industrial parks such as Selangor Bio Bay, Malaysia Vision Valley and Iskandar Halal Park are also beginning to adopt LCCF and move towards low carbon developments.

LCCF aims to get the 52 local authorities from the major urban areas to begin the journey towards low-carbon cities by 2020. This effort will drive Malaysia’s commitment towards reducing our CO₂ emissions intensity of up to 45% by 2030.

The latest IPCC Report has outlined the need for immediate and concrete global action towards reducing CO₂ emissions. The time for action is now and through LCCF, Malaysia has a strong foundation to build on to push towards a low carbon nation.

*TCO2 or total CO₂ is a measure of carbon dioxide that includes CO₂ as we know it as well as CO₂ in other forms including bicarbonate (HCO₃), carbonate (CO₃) and carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).