29/4/07 (The Star)  -- THE Guthrie Foundation of Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad has set up a scholarship programme to undertake research in the oil palm industry. 

The Guthrie Scholar Programme is aimed at advancing the knowledge of oil palm, and thus improving the competitive edge of the country as the world’s leading oil palm innovator.

Guthrie wants to explore all possibilities leading towards the diversification of palm oil uses and supporting advanced research in oil palm. 

Two areas of research have been identified – Study on Energy Farm Concept and Study on Palm Puree from Palm Fruits. 

Energy Farm will be undertaken by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board and Palm Puree by Univerisiti Teknologi Mara. 

The Palm Puree research project will focus on production of puree from oil palm fruits. Emphasis will be on the economic and technical feasibility of the project producing prototypes and commercial products.

The Energy Farm research project will focus on novel and renewable energy resources from oil palm plantations. 

Emphasis will be on the economic and technical feasibility of the project for commercialisation.

The candidates must be highly motivated PhD holders or researchers who are able to challenge conventional wisdom and have demonstrated their research ability through publications in high impact journals. 

The duration of the research is about two years. The scholars will be supervised by a senior researcher and another consultant if required. 

For details, call at 03-7681 2610.