Thnot d’Or and Kinal Prize 2026: the starting gun is fired

The Kinal Foundation has officially launched during anuary the Thnot d’Or 2026 and the Kinal Prize 2026. These two complementary competitions – one for students in food production and agronomy, the other for pharmacy students – this year share the same research focus: probiotic beverages rooted in local terroir, and the same ambition: to foster a new generation of Cambodian researchers and innovators.

From 12 to 22 January 2026, the launch campaign for the Thnot d’Or 2026 made stops at 11 universities across the country, from the Kampong Cham Agriculture Institute to the Royal University of Agriculture, as well as the ITC, the Royal University of Phnom Penh, the National University of Battambang and the National University of Banteay Meanchey. The competition, themed “Creating innovative probiotic beverages from local Cambodian ingredients”, invites students to imagine new products using national resources, in line with the work already carried out by Confirel on palm sugar and other traditional ingredients such as prahok.

In parallel, the Foundation launched the orientation campaign for the Kinal Prize 2026, whose scientific theme goes a step further: “Exploring the potential link between probiotic beverages based on Cambodian terroir and overall wellbeing: a behavioral and mechanistic study.” The first information session was held on 27 January at the University of Puthisastra, with around 70 students attending in person and about 50 participants joining online.

During the event, Saket Sophaseila, assistant to Dr Hay Ly Eang and representative of the Kinal Foundation, revisited the history of Kinal, a medicine created in the 1960s by French‑trained Cambodian pharmacist Dr Kok Sok Kim and relaunched in 1996 after PPM was founded by Dr Hay. Vice‑Rector Chea Sin, a former PPM collaborator and co‑organizer of the Kinal Prize, shared first‑hand accounts of the programme’s impact on students’ careers, noting that many award‑winners have gone on to join PPM in key positions. He encouraged young people to persevere in research, reminding them that “doing the same thing several times” is often the condition for success.

Through these two prizes, the Kinal Foundation is strengthening its role as a bridge between universities and the business world. It aims to turn academic knowledge about probiotics and wellbeing into concrete innovation opportunities in Cambodia’s agrifood sector.