The R&D Entity of Sri Lanka's largest conglomerate, John Keells Research, introduces nanotechnology in consumer brands
A large conglomerate in Sri Lanka set up a research and development entity to develop innovations in cutting edge technologies, create IP, and commercialize it. After ten years, John Keells Research, has licensed its antibacterial silver nanoparticle innovations to two major Sri Lankan companies and has many projects in the pipeline.
John Keells Holdings PLC, the largest listed conglomerate on the Colombo Stock Exchange, established a research and development entity, John Keells Research (JKR), as its innovation arm in December 2012. The John Keells Group, mostly service-oriented, operates some 70 companies in several industry sectors of the Sri Lankan economy: leisure, transportation, retail, consumer foods, property, financial services, IT & Innovation, and plantation services.
Thilina Weerasekera, who joined in the early days of JKR as a management trainee and later joined the research team as a chemical engineer, now heads JKR.
After collaborating with universities and research institutions in Sri Lanka and overseas, JKR set up its own research lab and premises in May 2017. With 17 young researchers, and two senior scientific advisers, JKR focuses on four R&D areas: composite materials, energy storage, biomaterials, and mechatronics, branching out to ten technology clusters. The research center has a particular focus and experience on composite materials, especially nanocomposites, with several ongoing projects.
Silver Nanotechnology for Cosmetics with an Edge
JKR has developed a novel method of preparing a silver nanoparticle suspension which is highly stable under ambient conditions, with an extended shelf life to be used as an antibacterial additive for cosmetic products such as creams and serums.
The biocidal nature of silver is a unique property, and at a nanoparticle level, it is safe to use in skin products when used in low concentrations in accordance with the permissible levels set by regulatory authorities. “Silver nanoparticles as a raw material is often found on the market in powdered form, but our nano silver is synthesized as a stable suspension, that can be easily incorporated in products like creams, giving it an antibacterial property with many applications,” Thilina explained. By the end of 2021, the technology was ready for licensing, protected by trade secret, and trademarked under “Silmetic.”
After pitching to several cosmetic companies, in 2022, JKR licensed its invention to 4Ever Skin Naturals (PVT) Ltd, a prominent Sri Lankan cosmetic manufacturing company. JKR’s and 4Ever Skin Naturals’ scientists worked together to achieve the development of the end products. JKR’s technology has a 99.9% antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli strains when used in minimal quantities, according to the company.
4Ever Skin Naturals incorporated the silver nanoparticle suspension into its “Derma Pro” line of products, including a serum, a day cream, and a night cream. The company started distributing the products through its chain of hair salons and beauty parlors, Chandani Bandara Salons, in the country in early 2023.
According to Thilina, the Derma Pro products with JKR technology are expected to hit the supermarket shelves soon, and the cosmetic company is working on eight additional products based on the SilmeticTM technology.
Electric Switches with Silver Nanoparticle Antibacterial Technology
In the middle of the Covid-19 crisis, in 2020, one of Sri Lanka’s major electrical manufacturers, OREL Corporation, approached JKR to see if its silver nanoparticle antibacterial technology could be incorporated into their electric switches. OREL wanted to provide safer products, limiting bacterial transmission in settings such as hospitals, public buildings, and hotels.
Such antibacterial switches exist on the international market but not in Sri Lanka, Thilina said.
After experimenting with 25 kgs of OREL’s polycarbonate pellets, JKR successfully incorporated a new version of their additive into the polycarbonate, delivering a product that OREL could use in their injection molding process, with almost 99% antibacterial activity and no impact on the properties of their existing products. This variation of the technology, protected by trade secret, was trademarked under the name GERMSLAYTM.
In early September, Orel signed a licensing agreement with JKR and is currently working on scaling up the process and conducting final tests, intending to have two products on the market soon.
WIPO Mentoring Key in John Keells Group’s IP Strategy
In 2016, JKR filed its first patent application for a novel material (electrospun collagen-graphene polymer composite nanofiber). This material has been shown to have superior properties (capacitance, energy density, etc.) that make it ideally suited for use in energy storage devices such as Supercapacitors. The patent has been granted in China, USA, Taiwan, South Korea, India, and Japan.
Although John Keells Group, as a large conglomerate, has a strong legal team, its expertise in the IP domain lies mainly on trademarks and copyrights. “At JKR, we realized that we had to develop abilities in the field of IP to understand, protect, and commercialize IP.”
JKR entered the WIPO Enabling Innovation Environment (EIE) Project for IP and Technology in 2018 and participated in the project until its conclusion in 2022. “It was a learning opportunity for me. With a chemical engineering background, I learned the IP process from scratch,” Thilina remembers.
“We apply the best practices that we learned during WIPO mentoring sessions to all our projects,” he said, adding that the JKR team “acquired some patent drafting skills, but more importantly, how to set up an IP strategy, how to protect our inventions, conduct market analysis, how to best license our technologies, and define royalty rates.”
The Sri Lanka National Innovation Agency (NIA) - former Coordinating Secretariat for Science Technology and Innovation (COSTI) was the hub institute for the EIE project in Sri Lanka and worked as a proxy Technology Transfer Office in the EIE remote mentoring programme.
Combining IP Rights to Apply Silver Nanoparticles Technology for Other Uses
While the collagen graphene nanofiber material is patented, the SilmeticTM and GERMSLAYTM technologies are trademarked and protected by trade secrets. JKR has given an exclusive license to 4Ever Skin Naturals for SilmeticTM so that they could utilize it in the field of skin care in Sri Lanka. However, as JKR is looking at other applications beyond skincare and is reaching out to Sri Lankan and foreign companies, the R&D entity is looking at applying for a patent for the technology.
JKR intends to leverage its IP portfolio and is now prioritizing projects catering to industry requirements and working with industrial partners in the country and region to identify needs and develop solutions and technologies that will be licensed in all their core areas of R&D.
