FRIM Director-General (DG) Dato’ Dr Abd Latif Mohmod received the award at the “Awards Ceremony of the 14th Nikkei Asia Prizes” on 20 May 2009 in Tokyo.
The Nikkei Asia Prizes was launched by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. (Nikkei) in 1996 to recognize outstanding achievements that help to improve quality of life in Asia and contribute to regional stability.
In a letter to Dato’ Dr Abd Latif dated 4 March 2009, Nikkei Chairman Mr Ryoki Sugita said the panel of judges was greatly impressed by FRIM’s contribution in promoting the conservation and sustainable management of forest resources.
In making its final decision, Sugita added that the panel paid particular attention to the role FRIM’s efforts and its accomplishments have played in the tropical forestry research both in Malaysia and abroad.
Announcements of the winners were made recently in The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the English language The Nikkei Weekly, its website Nikkei Net and English website Nikkei Net Interactive.
The Nikkei Asia Prizes are awarded annually to individuals, groups or organisations in Asia, except Japan, for significant contributions in three areas: regional growth; science, technology and innovation and culture.
The prizes target those in Asia, including East Asia (Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia), South Asia, as well as independent nationals in the Pacific region, excluding Australia and New Zealand.
FRIM is the third institution in Malaysia to receive the Nikkei Prize. The Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) was the first to receive this recognition in 1998, followed by the University of Malaya’s Department of Medical Microbiology in 2002.
