Another success for Khon Kaen University folks to be proud of after Mr. Wissarut Hanglee, Mr. Saharat Wanna, Miss Nithida Khepandung, Miss Nichapa Singsri, and Miss Arisa Pisitporn, a group of third year student majoring in marketing, Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy, Khon Kaen University, together under the team: Sirimongkhon, won the second runner-up from the final national round of the 10th “Way towards Business Innovation” Contest, which was organized by the Science, Research and Innovation Promotion and Utilization Division, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and the Southern Science Park on February 18-19, 2023 at Crystal Hotel, Hadyai, Songkhla.
As Khon Kaen University encourages integrated learning among many fields, the students of Sirimongkhon team have utilized their cross-disciplinary knowledge in marketing, research outcomes in engineering and scientific information and created a real working project outside classroom for this contest.
Saharat, one of the team members related about the starting point of their entering the contest that the team was inspired from the Research to Market event of their seniors and thus decided to enter the contest. They spent over 6 months studying research projects, collecting data from the sample group and designed their Business Plan. Then they selected the research about a medical item, for they believed was interesting as this could help people, and research studies that are commercially extensible are still few.
They were then able to design their Business Plan, by extending the research on Carbohydrate Polymer Materials for Medical Applications: Hydrogel, which was conducted by Assoc. Prof Pornnapa Kasemsiri, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University. The work won the first prize in the country and in the Northeast and the team then competed with 20 teams of other students.
Saharat said that their Business Plan is for the hydro gel patch for diabetes patients. This patch is waterproof and thus reduces risk of infection. Cassava is used as the major material in place of silicone, which is expensive. Three more herbs are added including: Gotu kola, long pepper, and turmeric, in the product.
“Our target consumers are patients with diabetes, for they have a problem with hard-healing wounds, which could arise from both internal and external factors such as pus, contact with water and infection. The patch has been produced to answer all of the problems of the patients with diabetes.”
From the experience they had from the second contest and the team cooperation as well as support from lecturers of many faculties and the integrated knowledge from many fields, the Sirimongkhon team was able to win the second runner-up prize.
The representatives of the team wanted to share their experience to their juniors and friends in other faculties that the Research to Market contest is not only planning a business or designing Business Plan, but it also requires integration of knowledge from many fields. Khon Kaen University always supports students of all faculties to enter competition if there is the research project they are interested in and want to extend the outcome commercially.
The contest is also a stage for students to bring their knowledge from classroom to expand and to learn from real practice. As such, they also learn to know themselves and know what occupation suits them in the future.
News: Jiraporn Prathomchai
