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Prof. Ong Wee Jun Receives over RM1 Million Grant during PETRONAS-Academia Collaboration Dialogue 2023
Prof. Dr. Ong Wee Jun, the Director of the Center of Excellence for NaNo Energy & Catalysis Technology (CONNECT) and the Assistant Dean of the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia, was awarded the prestigious PETRONAS-Academia Collaboration Dialogue (PACD) 2023 grant during the award ceremony held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 19 August 2024.
Prof Ong’s project, titled "Solar-powered artificial photosynthesis of CO2 for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction from flaring onshore gas terminals", secured a total grant of over RM 1 million. The project focuses on tackling one of the most pressing global challenges - reducing CO2 emissions - by developing solar-powered solutions for artificial photosynthesis and electrosynthesis via nanocatalysis, a potentially game-changing technology for the energy industry.
The grant was presented by Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Ts Mustapha Sakmud and Senior Vice President of Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM), PETRONAS, Datuk Ir. Bacho Pilong. Attendees at the prestigious ceremony from Xiamen University Malaysia included Prof. Chen Binghui, Dean of the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Khairun Nisa Binti Mihat, Manager of the Research and Postgraduate Center.
The event was part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of PETRONAS.
For this round of PACD 2023, a total of 61 projects have been approved and awarded by PETRONAS, with grants totaling RM 71 million to deserving recipients from 25 universities nationwide. The recipients were selected from a highly competitive pool of 588 applicants, underscoring the rigor of the selection process.
Prof. Ong expressed his sincere gratitude: "This grant represents a major milestone for our research at CONNECT at Xiamen University Malaysia. It signifies the confidence and commitment of PETRONAS to clean energy innovation and offers us the opportunity to drive impactful change in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to work with PETRONAS toward decarbonization and carbon neutrality in Malaysia by 2050."
