Finanzjament ta' EUR 200,000 minn fondi għar-riċerka jwasslu għall-ħolqien ta' prodott ġdid fil-qasam tal-aċċessorji tal-prodotti elettroniċi
Kollaborazzjoni bejn kumpanija lokali u l-Universita' ta' Malta toħloq innovazzjoni għas-swieq kemm lokali u kif ukoll barra minn xtutna
Għaddejja riċerka biex l-innovazzjoni tiġi estiża anke fejn jidħol trasport tal-vaċċin kontra l-COVID-19
Finanzjament ta' EUR 200,000 minn fondi għar-riċerka li ġew mill-Kunsill Malti għax-Xjenza u t-Teknoloġija (MCST) kienu kruċjali għall-ħolqien ta' kollaborazzjoni bejn kumpanija lokali bl-isem ta' New Energy Limited u inġiniera żgħażagħ mill-Università ta’ Malta li wasslet biex jiġi żviluppat prodott ġdid għas-swieq lokali u interazzjonali, fil-kamp tal-aċċessorji tal-prodotti elettroniċi. Fl-istess waqt qed isiru studji ulterjuri biex dan il-prodott ikun jista' jiġi użat fil-qasam tat-trasport tal-vaċċin tal-COVID-19.
Dan il- proġett iġib l-isem ta' ICECAP (thermoelectrIc Cooler for elECtronic Applications) u għandu l-għan li jwassal għall-manifattura ta’ prodott ġdid bl-intenzjoni li jkun ikkummerċjalizzat fis-swieq lokali u internazzjonali. Dan il-prodott huwa sistema ta’ refriġerazzjoni ċkejkna biżżejjed, li tkun tista' tinġarr b'faċilita, biex tkessaħ prodotti elettroniċi bħal cameras, bil-għan li titjieb il-prestazzjoni tal-prodott.
Oriġinarjament it-teknoloġija ġiet żviluppata biex tkessaħ image sensors u processors. Eventwalment kif bdiet il-pandemija tal-COVID-10, it-tim apprezza li l-istess teknoloġija tista’ tintuża fil-qasam mediku, biex tkessaħ kunjetti tal-vaċċin. Dan wassal biex jiġu żviluppati prodotti għall-istess industrija, inkluż tagħmir għat-trasport tal-vaċċin.
Fi żjara li l-Ministru għar-Riċerka, l-Innovazzjoni u l-Koordinazzjoni tal-iStrateġija għal wara Covid-19, Owen Bonnici għamel fil-fabbrika ta' New Energy Limited bħala parti mill-kampanja "Insaħħu lill-Ħaddiem", it-tim żvela mudell bikri għal tagħmir tat-trasport tal-vaċċin kontra l-Covid-19, li ġie ddisinjat apposta biex jinġarr minn ħaddiema mediċi f’postijiet remoti. Il-prodott beda Settembru l-għadda, u l-iżvilupp għadu fil-bidu. Għaldaqstant l-ewwel prototipi qiegħdin jiġu imfasslin, bl-ewwel testijiet ippjanati għas-sajf.
Waqt iż-żjara Dr Bonnici iltaqa’ mat-tim ta’ inġiniera li wrew l-aħħar żviluppi tar-riċerka tagħhom marbuta mal-proġett ICECAP u urew kif dawn irnexxielhom isibu mod innovattiv kif iċekknu s-sistema u jżidu l-effiċjenza sal-punt fejn jistgħu jilħqu temperaturi baxxi.
Il-Ministru Bonnici qal li waqt il-pandemija, il-Gvern mhux biss għen lill-intrapriżi u n-negozji, imma anke kompla jinvesti fihom u fit-talent tal-ħaddiema Maltin u Għawdxin. "Matul il-pandemija l-Gvern intervjena sabiex nipproteġu u nħarsu l-postijiet tax-xogħol tant li llum Malta hija wieħed minn tliet pajjiżi fl-Unjoni Ewropea fejn l-impiegi żdiedu u mhux naqsu. Fl-istess waqt il-Gvern kompla għaddej bi proġetti bħal dawn li jinvestu fil-futur u fil-ħolqien ta' soluzzjonijiet ġodda li mbagħad jiġu ikkummerċjalizzati," sostna Dr Bonnici.
Dan huwa Gvern li jemmen li b'dawn it-tip ta' għajnuniet u kollaborazzjonijiet, pajjiżna jista' jkun mutur ta' ħolqien ta' soluzzjonijiet ġodda li jintużaw mhux biss lokalment iżda wkoll fuq bażi internazzjonali.
Matul iż-żjara, il-Ministru Bonnici ltaqa’ wkoll mat-tmexxija u l-ħaddiema tal-kumpanija New Energy Limited u filwaqt li rringrazzjahom tax-xogħol li jagħmlu, faħħar il-ħidma eċċellenti tagħhom fis-settur tar-riċerka u l-innovazzjoni.
New Energy Limited, fis-snin li għaddew iddisinjat u ħolqot ukoll il-prodott BLUESHAPE li jikkonsisti minn chargers u aċċessorji oħra biex il-batteriji jiġu mmuntati mal-cameras u sistemi innovattivi ta' software għall-monitoraġġ u l-ittestjar tal-istess batteriji, bl-għan li jagħtu l-aħjar riżultati lil min jaħdem fil-qasam tax-xandir. Illum BLUESHAPE saret waħda mill-aqwa marki mad-dinja f’dak li hu ħolqien u manifattura ta’ batteriji, chargers u apparat ieħor għall-produzzjoni fiċ-ċinema.
Matul iż-żjara l-Ministru Bonnici kien akkumpanjat mill-General Manager tal-kumpanija Melchior Busuttil u kif ukoll mill-Inġiniera Andre' Micallef u Alec Fenech li lkoll faħħru l-Kollaborazzjoni bejn istituzzjoni pubblika u privata u wkoll il-ħidma tal-MCST.
PRESS RELEASE BY THE MINISTRY FOR RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND THE COORDINATION OF POST COVID-19 STRATEGY
€200,000 research funding enables the development of a new product related to electronic products.
Collaboration between a local company and the University of Malta creates an innovative product for both the local and the international market.
Ongoing research is taking place to extend the use of this product for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines.
An investment of €200,000 by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) was crucial for the creation of a collaborative project between the local company New Energy Limited and two young engineers from the University of Malta. This collaboration brought about the development of a new product for the local and international markets in the sphere of accessories for electronic products. In the meantime, further studies are being carried out to explore the possibility of this product to be used for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines.
This new project, ICECAP (thermoelectrIc Cooler for eLECtronic Applications) seeks to manufacture a new product with the aim of local and international commercialization. This product is a cooling system for electronic products such as cameras, that is small enough to be carried around easily.
Originally this product was developed with the aim of cooling image sensors and processors. Eventually during the COVID-19 pandemic the research team realized that the same technology can be used in the medical sphere, to keep vaccine vials cool during transportation. Now the researchers are working on developing their product further for this aim.
The Minister for Research, Innovation and the Coordination of the Post COVID-19 strategy Dr Owen Bonnici, visited the New Energy Limited factory as part of the ‘Insaħħu lill-ħaddiem’ campaign, where the research team revealed an early model of the product aimed to aid in the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines. This model was designed for medical workers to use in remote places. Work on this product started in September and its development is still in the early stages. The first prototypes are being designed at the moment and testing on this product is expected to commence this summer.
During his visit Dr Bonnici met the team of engineers who showed him the latest developments in their ICECAP project, explaining how they managed to find an innovative way to make their system smaller while increasing its efficiency to the point of reaching colder temperatures.
The Minister stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic the government not only helped local business and enterprise, but also kept investing in the talents of Maltese and Gozitan workers. “During the pandemic the government intervened to protect workplaces in such a way that today Malta is one of only 3 countries in the EU that saw an increase in employment rather than a decline. At the same time, the government kept sustaining such projects, investing in the future and the creation of new solutions that can eventually be commercialized.”
He explained that the government believes that thanks to such collaboration and government aid, our country can be a leader in the creation of new, innovative solutions that can be commercialized in both the local and the international market.
During his visit, Dr Bonnici also met the management and employees of New Energy Limited and while thanking them for their work, he praised their efforts in research and innovation.
In recent years, New Energy Limited designed and developed the product BLUESHAPE which mainly consists in chargers and other accessories that can be mounted on cameras and innovative systems of software for the monitoring and testing of batteries, chargers and other accessories related to cinematic production. Today BLUESHAPE is one of the best known brands in the sector worldwide.
During his visit, the Minister was accompanied by the Company’s General Manager Mr. Melchior Busuttil and Engineers Andre’ Micallef and Alec Fenech, all of whom praised collaboration between the public and private sectors and the valuable work of the MCST.