There has been a notion that a weak link exists between the academe and research institutions, and the industry in the Philippines, making the results of the academe’s research and development (R&D) not aligned with the needs of the industry.
This is now being addressed with the creation of Collaborative R&D to Leverage Philippine Economy (Cradle) Program by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
Cradle aims to provide a partnership between the academe and industry in order to align R&D with the needs of the industry, and help Filipino companies innovate, said Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara at the “Cradle innovates industries through R&D” forum at the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) in Quezon City on Thursday.
Guevara said that as of 2019, there are 24 projects, valued at a total of P110 million that were funded by DOST in universities and R&D institutions for Filipino companies all over the country.
She added that the program helps “foster collaborations between the academe and Filipino companies to develop competitiveness and innovation” by facilitating the “smooth transition of new technologies from universities and R&D institutes to industries,” or from laboratory to market.
Cradle serves a specific local company with an R&D problem. It assists the company by finding a partner university or a research and development institute equipped with experts who can solve the problem and the facility to undertake the R&D.
The program gives companies the opportunity to upgrade, expand and become more competitive in business through R&D.
Among its interventions were the sambong project of Pascual Pharma Corp. and the egg business of Batangas Egg Producers Cooperative (Bepco).
Aiming to standardize the therapeutic application of sambong plants through artificial intelligence, Pascual Pharma sought the expertise of the TIP in 2017. The project’s output will help the company innovate and improve the agricultural practices and the extraction process of sambong.
Bepco partnered with the University of the Philippines Diliman to solve its problem in the oversupply of eggs during summer leading to low price. UPD will develop egg white powder and granules from eggs, which can be used for baking purposes. The project will help the company in developing a new product.
Guevara said that besides TIP and Pascual Laboratories, and UPD and Bepco, among other partnerships created under Cradle are between the following:
- University of Southeastern Philippines and Hijo Resources Corp. to improve the productivity through the development of banana diseases surveillance system;
- University of San Agustin and Del Monte for the use of metabolomics as tool for the discovery of hypocholesterolemic natural products from pineapple;
- De La Salle University (DLSU) and Santeh Feeds Corp. for the development of a cost-competitive aquafeed from lab-lab biomass;
- UPD and Sugar and Ice for the reinvention of ice cream into a functional food matrix;
- University of Southeastern Philippines and Leadtech for the innovation of digital payment by integrating cloud-based technology and localized prepaid collection schemes;
- UPD and Aset for the enhancement and market validation of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition industrial prototype for nitride-based coatings;
- DOST- Industrial Technology Development Institute and Cenmaco Inc. for the posttreatment of food processing wastewater effluent for nutrient removal;
- UP Mindanao and Monde Nissin for the fermentation and purification research to produce food-grade, pharmaceutical-grade and polymer-grade lactic acid;
- UPD and Carolina Bamboo Garden for the micropropagation of selected genetically verified, superior bamboo to protect the environment and develop an alternative wood industry;
- DLSU and IMI for the development of a design guideline using finite element analysis for semiconductor packages;
- DOST-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute and Cardinal Santos Medical Center for the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals for management and detection of early stage prostate cancer;
- DLSU and Saile Industries Inc. for the development of natural soil minerals into high-value products that could help in textile-waste mitigation;
- Isabela State University and Edcor Development Cooperative for the creation of Web and android-based system that can detect, recognize and map the spread of witches’ broom disease of cassava;
- Central Luzon State University and Cobb for the development of a decontaminating machine for litter materials that will help improve the growing environment for chicken;
- UPD and Pascual Pharma for the development of new products that are easily digestible and nutritious from marine resources;
- University of Eastern Philippines and Davao Region Coconut Industry Cluster Inc. for the development of tree-climbing and de-husker devices suitable to the needs of coconut farmers;
- University of Perpetual Help System and CAMP for the creation of an artificial-intelligence system that could accurately check circuit designs”
- Holy Angel University and Edelyn’s Homemade Nuts for the advancement of the competitiveness of the local cashew and garlic industries of Pampanga through mechanization;
- Bataan Peninsula State University and Terio’s for the development of a de-oiling machine to improve the quality of local peanut products;
- DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute and RSU Rattan Furniture for the enhancement of the capability of the finishing spray booth equipment to minimize pollutant effluents;
- Asian Institute of Management and Manila Water Co. for the creation of a forecasting model that could aid in providing water supply in different delivery channels; and
- Ateneo de Manila University and Associated Wire Corp. of the Philippines for the development of a machine-eye that would watch-out for anomalies and prevent equipment failure.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza