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4 NEWS 10.12.2020 Maltese researchers to apply innovative cooling technology for vaccine transportation Company Announcements AS the current pandemic carries on, a local team of researchers have been quietly working on a cooling technol- ogy called ICECAP, which can solve the last-mile cold chain problem and helping global efforts towards ending COVID-19 as we know it. Last February, engineers at the Uni- versity of Malta finalised their design for a high-performance imaging prod- uct. Some of the design challenges they faced were related to cooling proces- sors and image sensors. "We needed to cool internal compo- nents to less than -20 degrees Celsius, so we had to rethink cooling methods and eventually came up with some- thing small enough to fit within a port- able electronic product" said Andre Micallef from the Department of Elec- tronic Systems Engineering within the University's Faculty of Engineering, who is leading the project. As the pandemic progressed, the re- search team quickly realised that this technology can be adapted from cool- ing electronics to the cooling of vac- cines. Current last-mile transporters cool vaccines passively, isolating the active ingredient from the outside heat until it has reached its destination. is only lasts up to a couple of days unless more dry ice is added, which can be impractical in remote areas where infrastructure is lacking. Instead, this cooling technology uses an active cooling method based on the Peltier effect. Conventional applications of this technology waste power and gener- ate excessive waste heat. However, the Maltese team found a way to make a compact cooling system efficient enough to achieve temperatures down to near cryogenic levels. e research team has partnered with New Energy Ltd, a local company inter- nationally known for producing power systems for the audio-visual industry. "By using hot swap battery-packs we can keep the system running for a very long time", Alec Fenech, responsible for leading project contributions from the private sector, said. ICECAP has also secured close to €200,000 of funding. is covers a two- and-a-half-year period of development from the Malta Council for Science & Technology through FUSION: e R&I Technology Development Programme. e team has since started the pro- cess towards filing two patents, whilst racing towards a viable electronic pro- totype. "Right now, it's about securing the technology and making sure the sys- tem works as expected. If things go as planned, we should have a prototype module by next year" Micallef said. FURTHER to announcement FIM299, the Board of Directors of FIMBank p.l.c. appointed from its number a Chairman in terms of Article 102 of the Articles of Association. Dr. John C. Grech was appointed Chair- man while Mr. Masaud M. J. Hayat was appointed Vice Chairman. e FIMBank Board, subject to regulatory approvals, is now composed of the following: John C. Grech (Chairman) Masaud M. J. Hayat (Vice Chairman) Majed Essa Ahmed Al-Ajeel Rabih Soukarieh Mohamed Fekih Ahmed Rogers David LeBaron Osama Talat Al-Ghoussein Hussain Abdul Aziz Lalani Edmond Brincat Abdel Karim A.S. Kabariti Claire Imam HILI Finance Company p.l.c. that Mr Carmelo Hili, Identity Card Number 395765M of Lija, Malta, has resigned as Chairman of the Company with effect from 4 January 2021. Mr Hili retains his directorship with the Company. Mr Geoffrey Camilleri, Identity Card Number 569579M of Żebbug, Malta, a director of the Company, will also assume the role of Chairman of the Company with effect from 4 January 2021. GAP Group p.l.c. announced announce the basis of acceptance in respect of an issue of €21,000,000 Gap Group p.l.c. 3.7% Secured Series I Bonds 2023 - 2025 pursuant to a prospectus dated 20 No- vember 2020. Subscription lists closed soon after opening on Monday, 30 No- vember 2020 following over-subscrip- tion. In terms of the Prospectus, the Compa- ny entered into a conditional placement agreement with MZ Investment Services Ltd for the subscription of €11,000,000 in nominal value of Bonds. e remaining €10,000,000 in nomi- nal value of Bonds were made available for subscription by Existing Gap Group Bondholders and the general public. Bonds will start accruing as from 18 De- cember 2020. e Bonds are expected to be admitted to listing on the Official List of the Malta Stock Exchange on 17 De- cember 2020 and trading is expected to commence as from 18 December 2020. BMIT Technologies p.l.c. has announced that it has entered into a Share Purchase and Subscription Agreement with Wil- fred Mallia, ID Card number 625350M of Madliena, Swieqi, and EBO Ltd, registra- tion number C 84916 and having its reg- istered office situated at Icon, JPR Build- ings, Taz-Zwejt Street, San Gwann SGN 3000, Malta, for the: i) Purchase and acquisition by BMIT from the Seller of fifty thousand (50,000) Ordinary 'A' Shares of the issued share capital of EBO (the 'Sale Shares'), and ii) Issuance and allotment of fifty one thousand four hundred and seventy one (51,471) Ordinary 'A' Shares by EBO to BMIT (the 'Subscription Shares'). e Purchase Price and the Subscrip- tion Price, totalling €1,542,000 were re- spectively paid by BMIT to the Seller and EBO on the date of execution of the Agreement. FURTHER to company announcement 200/2020, Plaza Centres plc reported that as part of the share buy-back it has re- ceived seven different offers from share- holders totalling 2,738,125 shares. e lowest offer received by the company was for 750,000 shares at a price of €0.91c each. In line with the terms announced these shares were traded on the MSE for value yesterday. Premier Capital p.l.c. announced that Mr Dorian Desira, Identity Card Number 442281M of Gudja, Malta, has been ap- pointed as a non-executive Director of the Company with effect from 4 January 2021. Mr Desira has resigned from the office of Chief Financial Officer of the Company and from the office of Company Secretary, with effect from 4 January 2021. Mr Geoffrey Camilleri, Identity Card Number 569579M of Żebbug, Malta will take on the role of Chief Financial Officer of the Company and Company Secretary from the same date. Company Announcement following is a Company Announcement issued by Hili Finance Company p.l.c. (the "Company") in terms of Listing Rules

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