Asian Innovation Awards 2010–Winners
Tata Water Purifier Wins the Top Prize for Novel Product
An inexpensive water purifier aimed at households that may not have electricity took this year’s top prize in The Wall Street Journal’s Asian Innovation Awards.
Nearly 300 entries came in from the region, with the Journal’s independent panel of judges selecting 12 finalists. From them, they chose the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards, as well as the Credit Suisse Technopreneur of the Year.
The judges reviewed entries looking for products and services that break with conventional processes in creative ways. Kenny Tang, chief executive of Oxbridge Weather Capital and the head judge for the awards, said his criteria also included real-world benefits in Asia.
“The important criteria for me is the use, in the practical sense, that it could be,” he said. “That’s been a clear feature of the winners, not just this year but in recent years as well.”
Another judge, Rosemary Tan, whose company Veredus Laboratories Pte. Ltd. won the Gold award in 2006, said these awards help organizations further their work. “People really look at your technology more seriously because it’s been recognized, it’s been judged,” she said.
Tata Chemicals Ltd.’s filter, called Swach, the Hindi word for “clean,” won the Gold award. It uses natural components such as rice-husk ash, a byproduct of polishing rice, and attaches to a water-storage unit to purify water. When its filtration capabilities are exhausted, it prevents water from passing through, a safety measure designed to keep unsafe water from being accidentally consumed.
“We are privileged to be working in this space,” Sabaleel Nandy, head of the company’s water-purifier business, said. “The demand in India is very huge. There are over 250 million households, and we would like to make sure that they have a purifier that will save them from waterborne diseases.”
Swach costs 999 rupees ($22.50), and Tata expects to sell one million units this year. It is now considering taking the device to other markets, such as Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, Mr. Nandy said.
Functional MicroArray, a drug-delivery device made of tiny needles, won the Silver award for Suzhou Natong Bionanotechnology Co., while PassWindow, an authentication method for online accounts, took the Bronze. Microsoft Corp.’s Engkoo online dictionary won the Readers’ Choice Award, determined by votes on WSJ.com.
Natong founder Bai Xu said he is receiving more interest from major pharmaceutical and cosmaceutical companies in the U.S., and is also looking to get into the European market. “We will probably have a few deals regarding different products” in the coming year. Currently, Natong’s LiteClear acne treatment is in use in China.
PassWindow creator Matthew Walker said, “The whole world is searching for a solution to this problem.” The Singapore firm is in talks with banks and government security departments that are interested in the method, he said, and is launching a personal online service for individual customers as well.
Intuitive Automata Inc. won the Technopreneur award, which honors an entry that best applies technology with the greatest potential for commercial success, for its weight-loss robot, Autom.
LOVE THE TERM TECHNOPRENEUR! I WANT TO BE CALLED THAT ONE DAY!!!
“All the finalists highlighted are doing interesting and very useful work,” said co-founder Cory Kidd. “It’s an honor to be considered part of this group.” In the coming months, Intuitive Automata is raising capital and rolling out Autom to the U.S. market. He said other programs are still in progress, including managing type II diabetes and improving medication adherence.
The device’s mix of health-care relevance and biotechnology cut “across so many boundaries,” Veredus’s Dr. Tan said. “I felt the technology should be applauded.”
I think that it is really cool to gather together a group of friends at someone’s house and brainstorm to come up with the next new thing rather than go out to some lame bar or party. When I think about all of the wasted time in my twenties forcing myself to make small-talk with dimwits at bars and parties! Who knows, I could’ve come up with something useful to society during that time instead? People in their twenties today could stay in their element every day by forming networking groups thus, changing the face of socializing!
You can win a cash prize and make a major difference in the world! The Asian Innovation Awards is just one example of companies committed to finding the next big ideas from entirely new inventions to the advancement of a classic. The world is your oyster! It is a very exciting time to be around.
Let us know if you have any ideas about inventions or about something that should be invented. Send it to me at marisasung@gmail.com
Check out the winners for the 2010 Asian Innovation Awards and be sure to get your entries in for the 2011 Asian Innovation Awards:
Looking for the Next Big Idea in Asia
NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR THE “ASIAN INNOVATION AWARDS 2011”
PRESENTED BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CREDIT SUISSE
Seeking Innovations that Break with Conventional Processes in Creative Ways to Improve Quality of Life or Productivity
The Wall Street Journal Asia is now accepting entries for the prestigious Asian Innovation Awards 2011. The Asian Innovation Awards are committed to finding the next big ideas in Asia, from entirely new inventions to the advancement of a classic. Entries to The Asian Innovation Awards may come from individuals, small businesses, large corporations or academia in Asia Pacific.
The deadline for entries is FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2011, at 11:59pm Hong Kong time.
http://www.wsj-asia.com/aia/index.php