On February 6, 2025, civil engineering students from the School of Engineering and Technology, Walailak University, achieved international recognition by winning the “Grand Prize 2025”, also known as Best of the Best, at the International Intellectual Property, Invention, Innovation, and Technology Exposition (IPITEx 2025). The event was part of Thailand Inventors’ Day 2025, held at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangna.
The Grand Prize 2025 was awarded for their project “Innovative Composite Bar Mesh: GFRP Wire Mesh”, an advanced construction material innovation with high durability and environmental benefits. This groundbreaking project was developed by second- and third-year civil engineering students under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanongsak Imjai and was supported by research funding from the Luminous Road Stud Innovation Project and FF67 research grant.
In addition to the Grand Prize, the team also secured three gold medals for their innovative projects:
✅ Eco-friendly Geopolymer Lava Bench
✅ Low-carbon FRP RAC Rail Sleeper
✅ Innovative GFRP Wire Mesh
The award ceremony was hosted by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation. The event was presided over by Dr. Wiparat De-Ong, Director of NRCT, alongside Mr. Alireza Rastegar, President of the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA), and representatives from 28 international organizations and 32 Thai institutions. More than 1,000 innovative projects from around the world were showcased at the event, celebrating creativity and technological advancements on a global scale.
This year, only two projects worldwide received the Grand Prize. The second winning project was “NS-UR Flux-Cored Solder Wire” from Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Malaysia.
The success of Walailak University’s civil engineering students highlights their ability to compete at an international level and serves as an inspiration for future engineers to develop innovations with real-world applications.
