At the headquarters in Phnom Penh, fresh off an awards ceremony for the KINAR and Golden Palm prizes, Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation official Khai Key had a clear message for the crowd: young minds and lab research shouldn't just stay trapped in reports and paperwork. Technology needs to be put to practical use, turned into new products and businesses, and help drive the national economy—especially when it comes to the country's farm produce, where the raw materials are plenty and just waiting for deep processing.
According to local media, this year’s Golden Palm awards had a very practical theme, focusing on using local ingredients to innovate probiotic drinks. The official noted that winning an award is just the beginning; the real test is turning those research results into actual commercial products that help boost people's incomes. Over the past few years, these two awards have steadily drawn university students and young people to form teams and compete, and their creations have proven that local youth definitely have the drive and creativity.
Foundation representative Hay Leang chimed in, saying that every year seeing these young faces makes it clear they have what it takes to transform the land resources passed down by their ancestors into practical solutions people can actually consume to improve their health. In neighborhood tea stalls, you'll sometimes hear people talking about how young folks today are tinkering with inventions and deep-processing farm goods not just to win prizes, but to play a real part in rural development.
