Companies from diverse fields can avail of various programs and services offered by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), including a partnership with research and development institutes for innovating local products and boosting competitiveness through acquisition of new and relevant technologies.
Regional Director Romelen Tresvalles of the DOST-National Capital Region cited the Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippines Economy (CRADLE) and the Business Innovation through S&T (Science and Technology) (BIST) for Industry programs.
“Under the CRADLE program, what we do is that we match an industry or we match our business with our research and development institute (or higher education institutions) so that the solution that will be developed by the research and development institute would immediately address the need of an enterprise,” she said during the recent general membership meeting of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc.
Tresvalles said the BIST program, on the other hand, facilitates the acquisition of strategic and relevant technologies by Filipino companies for immediate incorporation in their research and development (R&D) activities.
“Acquisition of technology could be in the form of acquiring know-how/rights/blueprints of a registered intellectual property,” she said, adding this can be through licensing technology, outright purchase of technology, and acquisition of hardware/software for R&D.
Tresvalles said the DOST BIST program has provided support to Herbanext Laboratories Inc. that would be used to develop pharmaceutical-grade extracts for herbal supplements.
Tresvalles also highlighted another program, the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) 4.0, which remains to be the agency’s technology transfer platform for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
She said the SETUP 4.0 program provides a holistic package of intervention both at the industry and enterprise levels. At the industry level, interventions include market competence, sustainable economy-related programs, and responsive support infrastructure.
“And at the firm level, we provide a package of holistic intervention that is focused on technology acquisition as well as technology advisory and consulting services for food safety, for cleaner production, for energy efficiency, (and) for ensuring that our business comply with both market and regulatory requirements,” Tresvalles said.
“For the set of programs at the firm level, it’s limited to micro, small and medium enterprises that have been operating for at least three years. But for all the other program components on technical assistance, capacity building, anybody or any business can avail of those,” she added.
Moreover, Tresvalles said the DOST also provides a package of S&T interventions for startups.
“We have the DOST system, in particular the three R&D councils are establishing technology business incubators across the country and they are also providing startup grant fund support for startups focused on validating their products, protecting their technologies, as well establishing their business models,” she said.
Tresvalles said the agency has established also various facilities to support R&D activities, including the Advanced Device and Materials Testing Laboratory (ADMATEL), Advanced Mechatronics, Robotics, and Industrial Automation Laboratory (AMERIAL), Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCen), and Innovation Center for Yarns and Textiles (ICYT).
“For those in the electronics sector, we of course have the Electronics Product Development Center. For those that are into upcycling or looking into waste that would add value to their wastages in the processes, we have the Modular Multi-Industry Innovation Center,” she said.
“We have also established the Halal Verification Laboratory and the Halal Food Research and Development Facility to support those that are going into the Halal industry both for food and for pharmaceutical applications,” she added.
