“Research and Development (R&D) products should be cascaded to benefit the people so as not to waste government R&D investments.”
This in essence is the message of Dr. Edwin C. Villar, Acting Deputy Executive Director for R&D, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) during the turnover ceremony of DOST-PCAARRD’s pre-commercialization reports to their intended beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries of these reports are technology owners and researchers of various State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Research and Development Institutes (RDIs) including PCAARRD. They received completed reports of different pre-commercialization studies conducted for selected DOST and PCAARRD-assisted technologies.
The pre-commercialization reports were generated in cooperation with different partner institutions and project teams such as SUCs and government agencies.
These initiatives were supported and monitored through the DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center (DPITC), PCAARRD’s latest technology transfer platform.
Present in the ceremony were representatives from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) headed by Director Carmen G. Peralta of the Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau (DITTB); Michelle D. Balboa of the Invention Development Division of the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI); and Director Glenn N. Baticados of the Center for Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (CTTE-UPLB).
Dr. Villar with Dr. Melvin B. Carlos, OIC Deputy Executive Director for Administration, Resource Management and Support Services (ARMSS) of PCAARRD, received the reports on Prior Art Search, Patent Landscape, Fairness Opinion, Valuation, Freedom to Operate (FTO), Market Study, Machine Test Results, and Commercialization-related documents generated from the projects of IPOPHL, UPLB, and TAPI.
Similar reports were also handed over to technology owners, researchers, PCAARRD Technical Research Divisions, and Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Managers.
The event also gave way to the ceremonial signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between East-West Seed Company, Inc. (EWSC) and the Council.
MOU signatories for EWSC were General Manager, Mr. Henk Marie Hermans and Value Chain Partnership Manager, Dr. Roberto R. Acosta and for PCAARRD, Dr. Villar and Dr. Carlos.
In a message, Hermans emphasized the importance of creating networks in transferring technologies to farmers. He reiterated the importance of this new venture between PCAARRD and EWSC in improving the lives of farmers.
He also explained that technology commercialization of R&D results from universities can impact the lives of the farmers. He also explained their company’s concern for small farmers and its interest to make them benefit from the progression of its R&D.
One hundred representatives from 27 agencies consisting of 17 state universities and colleges (SUCs), 9 research and development institutions (RDIs), and PCAARRD ISP Managers attended the event.