Invites local companies, institutions to avail R&D funding

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) held its kick-off event for the 2024 Call Conference at Baguio City. The Northern Luzon Call Con is a venue for the science agency to reach out to local businesses, universities, communities, and other institutions in the region to submit research and development (R&D) proposals in need of funding.

Led by DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr., this event aims to enhance the competitiveness and productivity of various industries by funding high impact R&D programs and projects. DOST also gears to strengthen the efforts on technology transfer and commercialization of R&D results. “We aim towards attaining higher productivity and better quality of life for all. Our vision in DOST is to achieve this by enabling and providing science, technology, and innovation (STI) explicit solutions.”

DOST Undersecretary Leah J. Buendia gives the welcome remarks during the 2024 Call Conference event.

DOST highlighted high impact R&D centers located in Northern Luzon like the Potato R&D Center at Benguet State University. The Center addresses the need for disease-free or “clean” seed potatoes which affects the quality and quantity of potatoes being harvested. The developed “clean” seed potatoes are reported to have doubled the yield of farmers from 66% to 180%, compared to the use of old seeds from the previous planting season. This Center is funded through the DOST Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER).

Another NICER in Northern Luzon is the Tamarind R&D Center at the Pampanga State Agricultural University on the “Development of S&T-Based Production Management Strategies for Tamarind”. The project was able to expand the area of sour tamarind plantation in Central Luzon by 117 hectares and suppress white mold disease by as much as 100 percent through their plant growth promoter. To date, it has produced 116 tamarind herbarium collections, 500 tamarind seedlings, and grafted 5,300 tamarind seedlings. The DOST provided the project with a grant of 23.8 Million for this.

DOST also has an R&D Center in Northern Luzon that focuses on wealth protection. A NICER Project is led by the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) under the ESTABLISHMENT OF COASTAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (COASTER), titled “Enhancing Coastal Design and Infrastructure Intervention through the Establishment of Wave Testing Facility”. The DOST was able to release 51.8 Million for the project’s design, development, and deployment of wave and tidal gauge, as well as a water level monitoring system for installation in strategic locations in Region 1.

On R&D support for health, the DOST funds the establishment of the Biomaterials for Diagnostics and Therapeutics Research and Development Center that will focus on research on biomaterials for health applications. To be located at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) in Pampanga, the R&D Center aims to be a key player in the development of local health technologies that will address priority diseases emerging from Central Luzon (Region III). Currently, the program has set up animal and biomaterials preparation rooms. Also implemented by the AUF, the program conducts three component projects addressing pressing health gaps in the region such as gastroenteritis and rabies.
DOST Undersecretary for R&D Leah J. Buendia mentioned that the “ultimate goal is for Filipinos to have a strongly rooted, comfortable and secure life. We would like to ensure that the scientific efforts that we support will respond to the needs and demands of our constituents and stakeholders. This is exemplified by our funded programs and projects that we believe will contribute to attaining this goal.”

To find out more about the DOST Call for Proposals, you may go to the official email at: https://dpmis.dost.gov.ph/