Dr Asel Sartbaeva, Reader in the Department of Chemistry and Co-Founder and CEO of EnsiliTech, has been awarded the honorary title 'Jaratman of the Kyrgyz Republic' by President Sadyr Japarov. The title was presented at a state ceremony in Bishkek on 14 September 2026.

Jaratman, meaning 'inventor', is a new state honour introduced in 2026 for outstanding innovative contributions that deliver significant results at national level. Dr Sartbaeva is among its first recipients.

Born in Kyrgyzstan, Dr Sartbaeva is a co-inventor of Ensilication®, a patented process developed originally at the University of Bath over more than a decade and being commercialised now by EnsiliTech. It builds a tailor-fitted silica shell around individual biological molecules, keeping them stable without refrigeration or lyophilisation.

The technology tackles a problem felt most sharply in countries with limited infrastructure. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 25% of vaccines worldwide are wasted, and cold-chain logistics account for up to 90% of a vaccination programme's emissions.

Dr Asel Sartbaeva said:

I am deeply honored to receive the Jaratman award and title from President Japarov. Kyrgyzstan is where I was born and my interest in science began, and it is a privilege to be recognised by my home country. Ensilication was born from a simple question: how do we get life-saving medicines to the people who need them, wherever they live? This honour belongs equally to the team at EnsiliTech and to our colleagues at the University of Bath, and it strengthens our resolve to end medicine's dependence on the cold chain.

Since its spin-out from the University of Bath, EnsiliTech has grown to a team of 14 people in Bristol and closed an oversubscribed £4.5M seed round in August 2025. It works with biopharmaceutical developers to apply Ensilication to their own vaccines, antibodies and other biologics.