Dela Peña urges collaboration between academe, MSMEs

MANILA, Philippines — Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña is urging scientists and researchers in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and private higher education institutions (HEIs) to closely collaborate with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and technology startups to produce “useful” science and technology research.

Dela Peña said that collaboration between academe-based scientist researchers and local entrepreneurs would ensure that billions of pesos invested by the department in research and development grants to SUCs and HEIs are not wasted, but result in new innovative products or help MSMEs attain higher productivity and competitiveness.

“The goal of our scientists and researchers should not be just to produce studies that get published, many of which gather dust in the library, but their research should lead to innovation, or new products, or product development among our entrepreneurs,” Dela Peña said.

Dela Peña said that technology startups and invention and innovation-based enterprises among Filipino MSMEs should be a priority of these efforts.

He said the DOST has been a constant source of R&D funds among 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.

For this year, the DOST has a budget allocation for R&D grants of P2.6 billion, from P2.4 billion in 2017.

Of the P2.4 billion grants issued in 2017, P971.1 million went to private HEIs for R&D.

DOST-Region 2 will spearhead the effort to induce collaboration between SUCs and HEIs, and MSMEs, tech startups and inventor-led enterprises, starting with their five SUCs: Cagayan State University, Isabela State University, Nueva Vizcaya State University, Quirino State University and Batanes State College.