DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology-developed technologies lorded it over in the recently concluded Seoul International Invention Fair held in Seoul, South Korea, from November 1-4, 2023.

Bagging major awards are DOST-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute researchers who brought home gold and silver for the Hemostat Technology and Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter, respectively.

Hemostat Technology also bagged two more special awards: Excellent Efforts in Creating an Invention by the Korea Invention Promotion Association and Best International Invention and Innovation by the National Research Council of Thailand.

PNRI’s technologies excelled among 484 innovations from 26 countries which competed in the on-site evaluation session on 01 November 2023. Every entry was rated based on several criteria such as technicality, marketability, feasibility, and design and explanation.

The hemostat is made of carboxymethyl cellulose that is crosslinked and sterilized by radiation. It provides an efficient control of moderate to severe bleeding of wounds, thus vital in emergency cases and medical procedures.

The Carrageenan PGP, on the other hand, is a foliar fertilizer made of red seaweeds that can increase crop yield to more than 20 percent. Irradiation technology breaks down the carrageenan into smaller bits that can enter the plants’ stomata or tiny openings and become plant food instead of being applied into the soil.

Developed by the research team led by Dr. Lucille V. Abad, the Carrageenan PGP is now commercialized nationwide and available through online selling platforms.

“PNRI technologies are already gaining ground in the global arena,” said PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla as he congratulated the winning DOST team.

“We aim to develop more R&D products and technologies that are highly relevant and developed using nuclear technology,” he added. “This latest award for PNRI researchers will surely inspire the PNRI family to come up with more creative research.”

Representing the PNRI was Charito Aranilla, lead researcher of Hemostat Technology, who received the awards on behalf of the Institute on November 3 in a ceremony held at the Convention and Exhibition Center Hall C in Seoul. She was guided and assisted, especially in Business Pitching, by Ronald Alan Pinzon and his Business Development Team.

Meanwhile, other DOST technologies also won major awards such as gold for the Flavored Salts by the DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), silver for the Lyocell-lignocellulosic Fiber-based Yarns by the DOST-Philippine Textile Research Institute, and bronze for the Stabilized Brown Rice by the DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute and the Salt Washer Machine by the ITDI.

Special awards also went to ITDI’s Gourmet Salt, awarded by Singapore; FNRI’s Stabilized Brown Rice, by the Indonesian Invention and Innovation Promotion Association; and PTRI’s Industry-Scalable Natural Dyes as “Best International Invention” by the VietNam Fund for Supporting Technological Creations.

The SIIF, launched in 2002, aims to help market and promote inventions. According to its website, the SIIF 2023 is under the patronage of the City of Seoul, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations. It is an event where inventors and researchers from all over the world showcase new ideas and products to manufacturers, investors, distributors, licensing firms, and the general public.