MANILA — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will put up different kinds of innovation centers in the country, DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday.
Dela Peña is part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s delegation to the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in China on April 8-11.
The DOST chief plans to put up innovation centers for forest products, metal, and fabricated products, as well as a multiproduct innovation center.
Currently, the DOST has 13 food innovation centers (FICs) across the country, and some more will be added, according to Dela Peña.
“They (FICs) have been contributing immensely to the development of new processed food products by MSMEs (micro, small, medium enterprises). We are replicating that in other product sectors,” he said.
The department also has an indigenous yarn innovation center in its Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) located in Bicutan.
Dela Peña mentioned that the DOST had set up the Electronic Products Development Center (EPDC) in DOST Bicutan.
“This will serve our electronics products enterprises, SMEs, and startups. Initially, we only have one EPDC. But if we have resources, we can probably have additional in Visayas and Mindanao,” he told PNA.
The EPDC will operate this year.
Dela Peña said the DOST had partnered with Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines (EIAPI) for the operational management of the EPDC, adding that the agency wants to be more innovative in running this type of innovation facility.
Meanwhile, at least three product innovation centers for processed forest products like bamboo is also among the DOST’s plans.
“We also plan to have a multiproduct innovation center at the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), where products for flavors, fragrances, and healthcare will be developed,” said Dela Peña.
The ITDI, a DOST-attached agency, has its office in Bicutan.
Another DOST-attached office, the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), is eyed to be an innovation center for metal and fabricated products, according to Dela Peña.
He said most of these centers would be operational by 2019. (Ma. Cristina Arayata/PNA)
