Mapúa graduate student to represent the Philippines in international James Dyson Award

JDA PH Winner 2021

Mark Kennedy Bantugon, a young inventor from Mapúa University, has been declared the lone standard-bearer of the Philippines to the international leg of the James Dyson Award 2021. 

Bantugon joins the Top 20 shortlist of the global design competition with his product innovation, the Pili Seal, a sustainable and non-toxic sealant for aircraft made 

from the waste material of Pili Tree Resin or spent or de-oiled resin. 

His inclusion in the Top 20 international finalists is proof of his invention’s potential to address and solve genuine industry-wide issues, which mainly involve health, safety, and rising costs.

It also underscores the Pili Seal’s ability to help create an additional and sustainable income stream for Filipino farmers while promoting the upcycling of waste materials. 

Before being shortlisted, the Materials Science and Engineering by Research graduate student’s Pili Seal invention was declared the National Winner of the Philippine leg of the James Dyson Award. 

Bantugon plans to conduct further studies on the sealant to make it useful in various heavy industries like construction, land and water transportation, buildings, wood, and metal sheet roof applications. 

More than 2,000 projects from 28 countries and regions worldwide competed for a slot in their respective national-level elimination rounds. Of the 2,000, 83 were declared national winners and runners-up. These were then judged in the pre-qualifying stage of the international competition where only 20 were shortlisted by a panel of Dyson engineers and designers. 

The James Dyson Award global winners will be announced on November 17, 2021. International Winners will receive a £30,000 or Php2 million grant to help fund their projects.