PH to invest more on Science/Tech, Innovations to ensure post-crisis growth

CEBU CITY – “Science, technology and innovation or STI play an important role in the development of national wealth and there is a need to invest in innovations today to ensure our country's post-crisis growth, and for an economy to achieve a level of prosperity, it needs to produce outputs that are greater that its inputs.”

This was the keynote message of DOST secretary Rene Solidum, Jr. at the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) in Central Visayas at the Robinsons Galleria on October 12-14 with the theme “Agham at Teknolohiya: Kabalikat sa Maunlad at Matatag na Kinabukasan” which showcased the latest innovations by the science community in addressing pressing concerns of society.

Solidum said, for an economy to achieve a level of prosperity, it needs to produce outputs that are greater than its inputs and the country must have the speed and the capacity to shift to the changing demands of the market.

Solidum cited the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data that in 2021 there are more than 1.08 million establishments in operations and about 977,670 or 90.5 percent of the number are MSMEs and support must be given to these local companies.

DOST continuously invested in product innovation and testing facilities to help small companies to be more competitive, to be more productive, and be able to export, DOST said it has established the Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory (RSTL) here in Central Visayas to provide product standards testing and certification support to various industries in the region.

“As early as 2012, the DOST introduced OneLab to provide a unified network of laboratories that conduct various tests in areas such as chemical, microbiology, food, cosmetics, metals, adhesives, pesticides, furniture, cements, construction, halal, alkaloids, plastic, wood, marine products, shelf-life, dairy, textile and fabrics and more,” Solidum revealed.

But, according to DOST the investments are not enough, many industries express that testing turnaround time is too long and expanding testing capacities of DOST laboratories are needed, that led to the establishment of the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AmCen).

This manufacturing center features additive manufacturing or 3D printing technology by which a company can save as much as 50 percent depending on the quantity and other requirements on new and verified products compared to other conventional manufacturing processes like machining and molding.

Solidum added that with all the facilities DOST built and invested, these yielded great results and reflected the country's S&T progress as highlighted in the Global Innovation Index (GlI) over the past three years.  The Philippines was ranked 73rd in 2018, surged to 54^th in 2019 and finally breaking into the world's top 50 innovation achievers in 2020. 

However, the pandemic has brought the country down a notch around 51^st in 2021 but it is still recognized as an innovation achiever for delivering more innovation outputs than what is expected, he bared.

“We could say in confidence that our country has achieved a very strong positive momentum in terms of research and development. But we also need to replenish these technologies with competent human resources produced by DOST-supported programs like the Balik Scientist and S&T Fellows,” the secretary said.

 

The Central Visayas NSTW celebration

Central Visayas’ NSTW celebration highlighted programs, projects and researches that contributed to wealth creation in (1) Health, (2) Disaster risk resilience and climate change adaptation, (3) Information, communications, education and industry, (4) Agriculture, aquatic and natural resources, and (5) Industry, energy and emerging technology.

DOST-7 regional director Jesus Zamora, Jr. shared that the agency brought to the public with interactive exhibits and activities that showcased various S&T exhibits, fora, and awarding of Outstanding CEST Community and SETUP projects and the Most Outstanding Scholars’ Association in the region.

 The event also recognized and featured DOST-SEIs ‘In Touch with Excellence’ that recognized the achievements of DOST scholars and DOST-STIl's STARBOOKS Convention promoting a kind of a digital library for a sustainable and resilient future.

The event and exhibits showed technology developers and investors, students as well as S&T service providers and clients to interact and pursue potential opportunities and for people to experience the vital role of science, technology, and innovation in improving people’s quality of life and contributing to national development.

According to Zamora, NSTW 2022 conveyed how science, research, and technology have been partners for a stable and prosperous community, showing how the inventions of modern tools helped the country to further develop its community.

The event also showed how knowledge continues to increase due to the study of science, how people constantly discover things through research and how modern technology has helped the country to pull through especially during the pandemic.

“There is yet much work to be done - especially along the path of countryside development. Together, let us show our grit and grind to the best of what we can do to instill science and technology into the lives of people who most need it,” Zamora said. (Photos: MBCNewman/DOST FB)