DOST to focus on innovative enterprises

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will be more aggressive in extending assistance to invention or innovation-focused enterprises or IIEs.

Science Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said that in line with the DOST’s push to extend assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) especially in the countryside, there will also be a parallel effort at providing assistance to IIEs.

Dela Peña said that the aid could mainly be through research and development (R&D) assistance coursed through state universities and colleges and higher education institutions (HEIs) that get R&D grants from the DOST.

The DOST chief had earlier called on SUCs and HEIs that get R&D grants from the department to collaborate with MSMEs for “useful” research and development activities.

“What we want to happen is for SUCs and HEIs to talk to MSMEs and IIEs and ask how they can help these enterprises with R&D. This way, we can make sure that the R&D activities pursued by our academe-based scientists and researchers are those that will benefit our MSMEs and our IIEs and our R&D funds would not go to waste,” Dela Peña said.

He pointed out that the DOST pours billions of pesos in R&D grants to SUCs and HEIs through the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Natural Resources Research and Development; Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development, and Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, which issue research grants to various R&D projects of universities and colleges.

Dela Peña said the R&D activities that could be pursued under the academe-enterprise collaboration program would be those that will help MSMEs and IIEs develop either existing new inventions or innovations already brought to market, prototype development, or new product development.

The DOST has coordinated with the Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative for Dela Peña to tour the factories or workshops of the FISPC’s member-enterprises to look into how the DOST can help improve the manufacturing capabilities of inventor-entrepreneurs.

Under the project, Dela Peña has visited the workshop of businessman-inventor Edgardo Vazquez at his Forbes Park home in Makati, and most recently the Valenzuela City manufacturing complex of Splash Corp. headed by Rolando Hortaleza, who has developed innovations in skin whitening soaps and lotions and other personal care products.