At Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation (CSII), a group of third-year students from Dr. Pietro Borsano’s "Technology Innovation Management" course has demonstrated the power of collaborative research and technological innovation in addressing agricultural and health challenges. Under the guidance of Mr. Jean F Laugier, Founder and CEO of Lean Hub Asia Pte Ltd, and Dr. Sébastien Bertin-Maghit, CSII Faculty Member in Health and Wellbeing, 30 students embarked on a groundbreaking project exploring herbal research in agrobusiness, focusing on medicinal plants from Madagascar and Thailand.
This project is an example of an industry coursework project, where students are matched with industry partners to develop new product processes, explore innovative deployment strategies, or design innovation team and organisational structures. The students complete the project as part of their coursework requirements, fast-tracking the application of the knowledge and skills they have learned in the course.
A Multifaceted Approach to Agricultural Innovation
The project brought together students partnering with:
- the Consortium of Connected Research for Agricultural Innovation (COCORAI), a global scientific and educational non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing the fundamental science, engineering practices, and the application of Information and Communication Technology within farming and the underlying Agricultural Industry,
- Expam, a Malagasy company specialised in the exploitation and processing of aromatic and medicinal plants from Madagascar,
- Therawin, a Thai startup developing some novel herbal medicine products.
Their primary focus was twofold: investigating plants with potential health benefits, particularly for type 2 diabetes, and exploring solutions to protect banana cultivars from pests and diseases. This herbal research in agrobusiness highlights how innovative approaches can solve pressing health and agricultural issues.
What set this project apart was the students' innovative use of AI-driven herbal research to conduct their work, bringing cutting-edge technology to traditional agricultural and medicinal plant studies. The teams worked diligently to validate plant properties, analyze herbal solutions in agrobusiness opportunities in African countries and Thailand, and develop potential marketable products.
Student Perspective
Students reflected on the transformative experience as they acquired new skills through this project.
Participating in this project deepened my understanding of medicinal herbs, while honing my skills in innovative product development and leveraging AI tools for research, all within a collaborative environment where clear communication and teamwork were key to our success. - Parima Praditvongsin, BAScii student
Being part of the COCORAI project was amazing and fruitful in terms of both our technical skills and interpersonal skills. Our term project aimed at interpreting the literature concerning particular medicinal plants in Madagascar, Benin, Thailand, and similar regions to solve serious health issues, including diabetes. Members of the team acquired new skills in leadership, organisation, and problem-solving, as well as their research and designing skills were further improved. AI tools helped not only make sense of the market landscape but also aided sustainable agriculture practices which is a major product in this project. This project also helped us remain committed to health-centred and eco-friendly solutions while allowing us to expand our ability to face real life issues. - Muhammad Rashif Zharfan, BAScii student
During the project, I had the opportunity to explore how AI tools can be utilised in the development of herb products. Seeing innovative product came out of AI research was fascinating and interested. I’m excited to see those products come out to the real world. - Kongchalat Chinkulkijnivat, BAScii student
Impact and Potential
The project not only showcased the students' academic prowess but also highlighted the potential for herbal research in agrobusiness to address global health and agricultural challenges. By focusing on native plants with proven health benefits, the students demonstrated how interdisciplinary research can create meaningful solutions.
The collaboration between academic institutions, industry partners, and young innovators represents a promising approach to tackling complex global issues through education, research and technology.
Project Learning at CSII
This involvement of students in real life projects, in collaboration with industry partners is a distinctive learning approach at CSII. Students not only learn the theory of business and technologies, but also initiate/participate in diverse projects where they can apply their knowledge and acquire more skills.
[An] excellent professional work, well-structured and well documented. Congratulations [to students]. - Jean-Claude Ratsimivony, CEO Expam
As a graduate of ESSEC, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, and Paris Dauphine University, where I taught strategy and management control, I would like to express my deep admiration for the quality of [CSII] students' work. My experience also extends to the industrial field, with roles in engineering, business development, and general management. These experiences enable me to fully appreciate the academic rigor, creativity, and relevance of the innovative approaches presented by the students in this project. Their work brilliantly demonstrates the value of this collaboration between academia and industry - Maurice Andriamihaja, CEO & Founder MADINPRO
This project highlights CSII’s commitment to empowering students through real-world innovation, collaboration, and cutting-edge research.
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Written by Dr. Sébastien Bertin-Maghit