The DOST Project Management Office for the Science For Change Program (PMO-S4CP) in collaboration with the DOST-MIMAROPA conducted a two-day research proposal writeshop (writing workshop) in Palawan and Oriental Mindoro, last August 8-9 and August 11-12, at Palawan State University and Mindoro State University, respectively.
DOST-MIMAROPA and MIMAROPA SUCs have been working hand in hand in identifying industry and R&D needs and opportunities for government, industry, and academe collaboration. Through the years, several initiatives have been conducted to include conduct of provincial and regional stakeholder consultations, meetings, and technopreneurship capacity-building workshops among others to identify research priority areas. To further assist MIMAROPA universities and private companies generate R&D proposals eligible for R&D funding, the writeshop was conducted in preparation for the DOST S4CP Call for Proposals which will run from September to October 2022.
The DOST-S4CP focuses on an accelerated R&D program that encourages collaborative R&D for industrial competitiveness. It is composed of four (4) programs namely: (1) Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER) Program, (2) R&D Leadership (RDLead) Program, (3) Collaborative R&D to Leverage PH Economy (CRADLE) for RDIs and Industry Program, (4) Business Innovation through S&T (BIST) for Industry Program. For this writeshop, it is expected that more research proposals from the MIMAROPA region will be accepted for funding under NICER, BIST, CRADLE.
MIMAROPA SUCs will be providing their expertise in R&D to address the needs of the MSMEs. Some of the R&D collaborations in the works include the development of technologies for food processing, waste utilization and reduction, wastewater treatment, renewable energy, and agriculture.
During the writeshop, MIMAROPA SUCs continued working on their respective proposed niche R&D centers based on priority commodities. Palawan State University gears toward Petroleum research while Western Philippines University concentrates on seaweed. Marinduque State College will pursue further study on “Markaduke”, the native pig species found in the province. The Mindoro State University, on the other hand, will focus on the development of technologies for calamansi production. These R&D endeavors are identified and developed with the assistance of DOST-MIMAROPA.
The activity included an orientation on the different S4CP programs and proposal preparation, presentation, and critiquing. A total of seven (7) academic institutions and 12 MSMEs from different MIMAROPA provinces took part in the writeshop.
One of the startups who participated in the writeshop expressed the importance of R&D in sustainable development. According to Mr. John Gastanes of Project Zacchaeus, he is a firm believer that innovations will bring sustainable optimization of resources and that R&D is an important part of making innovations. “As a tech driven company, I am a firm believer that innovations will bring sustainable optimization of resources and efficiency, but how do you achieve that without R&D? This is where DOST shines as a bridge, connecting r&d to actual impact and Community transformation through sustainable innovations:” said Mr. Gastanes.
