Flagship Program 3: Research and Innovation

Building UP鈥檚 Innovation Ecosystems for Progress

Written by Fred Dabu and Andre DP Encarnacion

The 天美视频 (UP) leads the nation in high-level, homegrown innovation. This kind of innovation stands the test of time and is done by equally high-level scientists, engineers, and creative artists.聽 However, the question is, what is all this innovation for? The National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document (2023) lays out the goal of transforming the country into a smart and innovative Philippines that is productive, resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.聽 The next questions are: how do we get there as a nation and what is the role of the University in bridging that gap?

According to Dr. Gisela Concepcion, Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), former UP Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and currently the Special Adviser on Research and Innovation (R&I) to UP President Angelo A. Jimenez (PAJ), universities around the world serve as the 鈥渇ountainhead and hotbed of innovation and development鈥�. As these universities did and continue to do, UP is also taking up the challenge of forging strong synergistic links with government and industry to produce products and deliver services that benefit society. A key component for achieving this is the PAJ administration鈥檚 Flagship Program for Research and Innovation (R&I).

United in Purpose

Dr. Corazon de Ungria (center) of the Natural Sciences Research Institute (NSRI) DNA Analysis Laboratory in UP Diliman, poses for a photo with UP President Angelo Jimenez (second from left) and Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu (second from right), along with a couple of labotaroy technicians at their laboratory in UP Diliman, Quezon City. UP MPRO file photo.

UP鈥檚 current R&I team is made up of Concepcion together with Dr. Luis Sison, Director of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO), and Mr. Jimbo Reverente, Innovation Consultant to the UP System and Senior Lecturer at the UP Diliman Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business. Together with the UP President, the team continues to formulate guidelines and propose implementable actions to improve lives in different regions across the country. 鈥淲e want to try to strengthen what already exists, build on what’s been built before, but then we want to improve it by a whole lot,鈥� Concepcion said.

The current plan revolves around a couple of key agenda points. With the country beset by the challenges of climate change and the looming threat of socioeconomic and geopolitical conflict, the team will recommend policies for natural and social science-informed innovative governance, growth and development. UP鈥檚 innovations will be showcased in initiatives to improve the following: a) improving the delivery of basic goods and services to communities, and b) pursuing high-value productivity, growth and development opportunities unique to each region and locale.

These two points will see UP鈥檚 expert scientists working with fellow experts from state universities and colleges (SUCs), as well as with government; medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs), and civil society to transform our rich natural resources into high-quality products, goods, services and systems. These collaborations will uplift the quality of life, improve productivity and livelihood, and create wealth and employment in local communities.

Putting Knowledge to Good Use

*A university laboratory technician checks tissue samples using a microscope. UP MPRO file photo.*

To sum things up, the team agrees that new knowledge generated in the university should be put to good use to benefit the various sectors of Philippine society. 鈥淗ow do we operationalize this?鈥� Concepcion asked. The answer, she said, to translating ideas, research and creative work into useful applications is innovation.

鈥淎n example is Dr. Prospero Naval,鈥� she said, 鈥渨ho together with (UP Marine Science Institute) Director Dr. Laura David, developed a visual imaging system called Fish-i鈥�. Fish-i uses a smart sensor powered by AI to identify fish based on its characteristics like size, shape, color and movement. 鈥淭his has fantastic applications in ecotourism and fisheries鈥�. Other innovations she cited that have similar impact are VISSER (Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research), a research-grade laboratory system for Philippine high schools developed by UP College of Science Dean Dr. Giovanni Tapang, and Manila HealthTek Inc (MTek), a university spinoff company by dengue diagnostic kit developer Dr. Raul Destura of UP Manila, among others.

Concepcion also added that initiatives of this kind with funding from the University or entities like the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 鈥渟hould be made to yield a return on investment or ROI. Otherwise, it is not a good investment.鈥� This does not mean all ventures should yield or even target runaway profits, however. She explained that researchers should also look at 鈥淪ocial Return on Investment鈥� or SROI, more specifically for social innovations. 鈥淛ust enough for you to continue the innovation,鈥� she clarified. 鈥淎nd that your market won鈥檛 die off because of exorbitant prices driven by, sorry for the term, greed and profit. It must be this way in communities. And it won鈥檛 happen without the help of government.鈥�

Projects involving cross-cutting investment and with a broad range of applications can have commercial return on investment. It would be helpful to all parties involved if a percentage of the profits went back to the University. 鈥淚f these projects generate funds and this is known by the DOST, then they will know these have ROI,鈥� Concepcion said. The goal is for the creators to get rewarded, while ensuring that the university can continue to create the supportive environment that made it possible.

Science and Technology Parks and Hubs

*The National Science Complex in UP Diliman, Quezon City. The area houses most of the national university’s science and technology academic and research units. Photo by Misael Bacani, UP MPRO.*

The team is working under the direct guidance of Dr. Leo DP Cubillan, VPAA, to formulate UP鈥檚 innovation policy, its intellectual property policy, and managing the modes and stages of implementation of UP鈥檚 innovations under its many priority areas.

Creating the cross-cutting technologies that can be translated into innovations and train innovators to be entrepreneurs and start-up founders, however, will require more. Specifically, an innovation hub and/or science and technology park that can serve as the front end of the country鈥檚 synergistic vision of innovation.聽聽

The UP President and his R&I team are committed to bring the type of facilitative spaces found in countries like Taiwan and Korea to the University. In these spaces, academe, industry and government can seamlessly collaborate to bring innovations from a broad range of innovation readiness levels that are much closer to the market and to the people.

From the team, it is Prof. Reverente who is spearheading this initiative, joining other faculty members early this year on a trip to Germany to learn the ins and outs of the Fraunhofer Model for Innovation that has resulted in great returns for German universities 鈥渢o learn how Bosch does it or Siemens does it, or how universities there are like,鈥� Concepcion said.

These hubs will be surrounded by spaces for independent setups, where budding entrepreneurs and innovators can set up their businesses and labs, just like in Korea and Taiwan. The goal, according to Concepcion, is to have a bustling S&T park and PEZA zone for innovation to become products and services that uplift the nation.

Overseeing all of this is President Jimenez, Concepcion said, who is doing everything possible to get things done. 鈥淚 will take it on. I will speak out. This has to happen,鈥� she remembers him saying.

For more information on UP鈥檚 research and innovation efforts, read the infographics below.