Optiqua Technologies Pte Ltd, the Singapore-based provider of state-of-the-art optical biosensor solutions for the international water industry, has been awarded the 2009 Asia Pacific New Product Innovation Award by Growth Partnership Company Frost & Sullivan for its water contamination detection and sensing technologies.

Research analysts at Frost & Sullivan evaluated Optiqua Technologies’ superior performance against key competitors on a range of criteria, including the innovative qualities of Optiqua’s technology platform and added value to its customers. “Given the criticality of having potable water, Optiqua’s committed efforts in developing products to detect water contamination are truly remarkable. Optiqua’s EventLab is an excellent tool that offers high sensitivity as an early warning system for monitoring water quality. Solutions offered by the company provide efficient sensor systems that are highly sensitive, provide data in real time and are easy to deploy at a relatively low total cost of ownership,” says Avanti Chitnis, Research Analyst for Frost & Sullivan’s Technical Insights team.

Melchior van Wijlen, Managing Director Optiqua Technologies said, “We are very honoured to receive this award, it is an important recognition of the added value that our technology brings to the international water industry. It strengthens our ongoing ambition to develop new and innovative applications for our clients, using the unique benefits that our optical sensor technology provides”.

Optiqua Technologies, a subsidiary of Dutch optical sensor company Optisense, established its presence in Singapore at the end of 2007. The company chose Singapore based on the city-state’s position as a global hydrohub and business gateway to the Asia Pacific markets. In 2008, the company collaborated with national water agency PUB to carry out testing of its sensor technology for applications in the water industry, supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). To facilitate and support its expanding research and product development activities, the company recently moved to its new Research Centre at PUB’s WaterHub, a one-stop platform for technology, learning and networking.

“The collaboration with Optiqua reflects PUB’s commitment to research and technology to try to find more efficient ways of managing our water resources. PUB has been working very closely with Optiqua to test-bed and validate its sensor technology. The results have been promising, and there is great potential to use the technology to enhance PUB's early warning capabilities,” said Mr Harry Seah, PUB’s Director of Technology and Water Quality.

Mr Goh Chee Kiong, Director for Cleantech, EDB congratulates Optiqua on winning the award. Mr Goh remarked, “We are very pleased about this award which testifies to Optiqua’s progress to become a world-class player in water sensor technologies.  This also demonstrates the value of innovations being developed by companies in the fast-growing water and environmental ecosystem in Singapore.  We look forward to partnering with Optiqua to further leverage the synergies within this Singapore ecosystem.”