The Prize worth FCFA 21.5 million was donated by the President of the Republic.

Curtains have closed for the second edition of the week of excellence of Scientific Research and Innovation dubbed, "JERSIC 2009" with Professor Uphie Chinje Melo and her team of researchers bagging home the most coveted trophy of the event. The team outclassed four short listed research teams from an original list of 39 contenders to grab the golden award dubbed, "Lion d'or de l'excellence scientifique" from the President of the Republic of Cameroon. The amount attached to the Lion-like trophy clad in the national colours was FCFA 20 million plus FCFA 1.5 million from the Intellectual Property Rights Organisation.

The award crowned giant strides made by Uphie Chinje Melo, Director of the country's Local Materials Promotion Authority (MIPROMALO) and her researchers in the fabrication of solid and cost-effective building materials with locally-based resources. Besides the Golden Award, Professor Uphie Chinje was also decorated with a Labour Medal for her services to the nation as well as given the best senior MIPROMALO award worth FCFA 2 million.

Other prizes ranging from FCFA 400,000 to 5 million were given to outstanding researchers and research works notably the FCFA 5 million Encouragement Prize awarded to an Association of Cameroon Engineers and Computer Scientists based in Germany as well as three distinctions given by the German-based Association to three outstanding researchers.

Speaking last Friday evening during the closing ceremony of the four-day event, the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Madeleine Tchuinte said the event served as a veri