BATAC, Ilocos Norte—The creative industries and the business incubators of Region 1 have a promising future as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) launched the Bannuar Technology Business Incubator (TBI).
Under the auspices of the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, the DOST-MMSU Bannuar TBI is another vital phase in the journey of spurring innovation and empowering creative manufacturing industry in the Ilocos Region, the DOST PCIEERD said.
DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit expressed hope for the 57,989 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region through the Bannuar TBI.
Bannuar TBI is one of the 47 TBIs that DOST-PCIEERD has been supporting.
“The Bannuar TBI comes on the heels of the upward trajectory of the creative industries. We are looking at this facility as a germination pod for future technology-based creative startups and spinoffs,” he said.
Paringit emphasized Bannuar TBI’s mission, which links distinctive cultural legacy and genuine entrepreneurship.
“We anticipate local partnerships [among] DOST, other government agencies, local incubators and other players in the startup scene to be forged in the Bannuar TBI. We hope that they find their North in the startup scene through this launch,” Paringit added.
Amounting to P12.7 million, the TBI project also aims to provide resources and guidance to startups, including individuals with viable tech products.
Prof. Armie C. Sabugo, the lead person in the Bannuar TBI project, said that it will make use of the university’s existing infrastructure, facilities and tools to promote the local enterprises, particularly in the creative sectors.
Among those on the list is the looming weaving center of the College of Industrial Technology in Paoay Campus, which served as a location for several university-sponsored and collaborative trainings, the DOST-PCIEERD said.
It can also help the bamboo processing plant at the Crops Research Laboratory complex, which produces engineered kawayan (e-kawayan, or e-bamboo) goods.
The university’s Research and Development (R&D) Station and the Center for Innovative Materials in Emerging Applications (CIMEA), which will focus on the conduct of R&D toward material innovation using local sources, were also intended to benefit from and be served by it, Sabugao said.
The DOST-PCIEERD’s Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship Program (Heirit) provided funding for the Bannuar TBI.
The Heirit Program was initiated to assist universities in meeting the council’s TBI financing requirements and to provide managers with the skills they need to operate TBIs connected with DOST efficiently.
The growing need for early-stage entrepreneurial support, particularly in various locations across the Philippines, is something that Heirit aims to solve.
