Young RI researchers receive WIPO awards
Young RI researchers receive WIPO awards
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Young researchers from Indonesia on Tuesday received four awards
from the World International Property Organization (WIPO) after
winning the 2004 Business Innovation Competition for Youth held
in October last year by the Ministry of National Education.
The awards and certificates were presented by Ministry of
Youth and Sports director of youth affairs Sudradjat Rasyid at
Gadjah Mada University.
"It's not easy to get (property rights) recognition from WIPO,
as the products have to be academically justified and socially
advantageous," Sudradjat said as he congratulated the award
recipients.
WIPO is an international organization dedicated to helping
ensure the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property
are protected worldwide. It also ensures inventors and authors
are recognized and rewarded for their ingenuity. WIPO presently
has some 180 member-states or more than 90 percent of the world's
countries.
First place went to Agnes Widya Putri, a student of the state-
run senior high school SMUN 6 Yogyakarta, for her innovative
product -- crackers made out of tofu byproducts.
Second place went to a group of four student researchers from
Gadjah Mada for their superior-quality tofu products made using a
natural clotting agent.
The third prize was given to a group of two student
researchers from Semarang State University for a candy product,
locally known as manisan, made out of papaya tree bark.
The fourth award went to Niken Suryanti, a student of the
Surabaya's Airlangga University, for her waterproof sunscreen
product made out of kencur (greater galingale).
Total prices worth US$600 were given to the four winners, the
first place-getter -- Agnes -- also received a medal from WIPO.
"This is the fourth time young Indonesian researchers have
received such awards from WIPO," Sudradjat said.
It was important the researchers made connections with
industry so their innovations could be turned into commercial
products, he said.
Projects in Situ Udik village in Bogor and East Lombok were
examples where raw materials were successfully processed into
added-value agricultural commodities, Sudradjat said.