CEBU CITY— The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) held the 2024 Call Conference -Visayas Cluster on February 8 at Marco Polo Hotel, Cebu City for the third leg of the nationwide conference series with 260 R&D stakeholders from the region, including universities, industry players, and communities to submit research and development (R&D) proposals for potential funding.
“DOST ensures that our plans and actions align with the overall vision of the government towards a matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay para sa lahat. What this means for DOST is to determine appropriate S&T interventions that will contribute to developing pro-active, smart, and innovative Filipinos,” DOST Secretary Renato Solidum in his message said.
Six R&D proposals revolving around the four main pillars: wealth creation, wealth protection, sustainability, and human well-being, were explained and presented.
One of the high impact R&D projects in Visayas is led by UP Cebu under the DOST Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER). This 36.2 million-peso project, the Establishment of a Niche Center on Environmental Informatics in Central Visayas, created a machine vision algorithm for mango detection, mapping river basins and surface water networks in Cebu, among other achievements.
In terms of agricultural sustainability, DOST supported the project, Management of Unified Control and Automated Systems for Smarter Hydroponics Greenhouse through the DOST CRADLE Program. With private sector collaborator, this project has developed a smart management system for its greenhouse lettuce production by harnessing Internet of Things (IoT) with hybrid power system.
The PHILMARINE-BLI: Rearming the Antibiotic Arsenal with Philippine MARINE Actinomycete Beta-Lactamase Inhibitors project aims to discover new antibiotic sources from marine Actinomycetes found in the Tubbataha Reefs of the Philippines. Ultimately, this research could lead to the development of improved therapies, offering hope for better outcomes in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
Furthermore, the DOST funds other high impact projects like the Smart City Solutions to Urban Flooding (SMART TURF) Program, which aims to improve rainfall and flooding data collection for disaster management.
In Central Visayas, one of the DOST Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) partners is the Vic Metal Fabrication and Environmental Services Inc., a company specializing in agri-Industrial machinery. With the acquisition of a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Plasma Cutting Machine, this local company has significantly enhanced its productivity by enabling faster and more precise cutting, thus reducing waste in metalworking operations.
This improvement has led to increased production capacity and higher product quality.
Moreover, Ferangeli Guitar Handcrafter has upgraded woodworking technologies to achieve several key objectives: decreasing lead time, enhancing precision, and expanding production capacity. Notably, the local company had a 50% increase in production productivity, plus substantial gross sales figures in both local and export markets.
“Our collaboration with industry leaders and academic institutions is instrumental in driving innovation and addressing societal challenges. Through funding R&D programs and projects, DOST aims to make tangible contributions to regional development and the well-being of our communities,”
Undersecretary for Research and Development Leah Buendia said. (Photos: DOST7-FB)
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