Seeks R&Ds to fund in Visayas

ILOILO CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) continues reaching out to businesses, universities, communities, and other institutions in the Visayas region to submit research and development (R&D) proposals in need of funding.

The third leg of DOST’s 2023 Call Conference, held at the Grand Xing Hotel in Iloilo City, aims to create a nurturing environment for the science community and support the national economic agenda of the Visayas and the whole country.

“We need to enhance the creativity and competitiveness of our local businesses, most especially MSMEs and cooperatives here in the Visayas,” said DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr.

“DOST invests heavily [in] innovations that will create opportunities for wealth creation, more specifically in supporting businesses in expansion and job creation. We need to establish a dynamic ecosystem where business and science are linked to (providing) a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

On the third leg of its nationwide campaign, DOST urged researchers and scientists in the Visayas Region to submit their proposals and join the growing number of innovators making a difference in the country.

Proposals should be submitted via the DOST Project Management Information System (DPMIS) from March 1 to May 31, 2023. These will be funded in 2025.

As part of the Call Conference Visayas leg, Solidum, Usec. Leah J. Buendia, DOST-PCAARRD Exec. Dir. Reynaldo V. Ebora, DOST-PCHRD Exec. Dir. Jaime C. Montoya, DOST-PCIEERD Enrico C. Paringit, DOST-NRCP Exec. Dir. Bernardo N. Sepeda, DOST-PES+ Dir. Cezar Pedraza, and DOST Region VI Regional Director Rowen R. Gelonga visited projects in Iloilo that supports the business community in the area.

DOST Region VI assists the 31-hectare organic farm Orchard Valley, Inc. through the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program–Innovation Enabling Fund (DOST SETUP iFUND).

Orchard Valley partners with cooperatives composed of farmers and breeders and assists in packaging agricultural goods.

In the liquid line of goods from Orchard Valley, fresh milk from cows and goats will be subjected to a Nutritional Facts Analysis and Shelf-life testing to improve packaging and product quality.

DOST also featured packaging technology at the Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo.

This facility is the only Packaging Technology Resource Center in Western Visayas.

Through the DOST Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program, products from businesses in Western Visayas are assisted in product packaging and label design.

To support local wind turbine developers and encourage locally developed turbines, and support the potential of island communities in the Visayas in harnessing wind energy, DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) funded the Wind Energy R&D Center in Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo.

The center offers various testing services to evaluate locally-developed wind turbines to support the country’s renewable energy capacity.

At the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U), several startups and spinoffs showcased their development supported by the ISAT-U KWADRA Technology Business Incubator (TBI).

The focus of the TBI are entrepreneurs who use Industry 4.0 Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, advanced material science, data science, electronics, biotech and cloud computing, to provide solutions to national concerns.

“The aim of the Call Conference is to enhance the competitiveness and productivity of our various (industries) by ramping efforts on technology transfer and commercialization of R&D results,” said DOST Undersecretary for R&D Leah J. Buendia.

“We are fully committed to (supporting) the economic development of the Visayas region by scaling up and upgrading technology-based enterprises that will spur livelihood opportunities to communities,” she added.