The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), through its Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD), presented the Council’s technology commercialization initiatives in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources (AANR) sector.
This was during the second day of the Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA) of the Bicol Consortium for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (BCAARRD) on March 8, 2019 at the Albay Farmers Bounty Village in Camalig, Albay.
Ms. Abigail Gueco, on behalf of TTPD Officer-in-Charge Mr. Noel Catibog, presented PCAARRD’s initiatives to enhance the commercialization of technologies in the AANR sector as part of the Agri-Entrepreneur Day of the BCAARRD FIESTA.
The presentation covered the Research and Development Results Utilization (RDRU) framework of DOST-PCAARRD as well as the technology commercialization initiatives of the Council being one of its priority concerns.
Ms. Gueco stated that DOST-PCAARRD, as a government funding agency (GFA), advocates for technology commercialization in accordance with the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009 (R.A. No. 10055). The law mandates GFAs to monitor efforts and effectiveness of the research and development institutes (RDIs) in securing Intellectual Property (IP) protection and pursuing IP commercialization. It also aims to provide alternative solutions and assistance in case of shortfall in the RDIs’ performance in protecting, utilizing, and commercializing the IP.
To fast-track technology commercialization, the Council established the DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center (DPITC) in Los Baños, Laguna.
Seventy-six projects and other services are now offered through the DPITC. These projects are focused on IP management, business development, capacity building, and policy development which are considered as new PCAARRD investment initiatives.
The projects fall within the following major areas: technology assessment; prior art search; IP protection; freedom to operate review; technology valuation; business plan; and fairness opinion review.
Ms. Gueco stressed that the life cycle of a technology does not end once it is invented; it is only the start of its journey towards innovation.
Bridging inventions to innovations requires new sets of commercialization initiatives and collaboration among the actors of the innovation ecosystem. This is to move technologies from the laboratories to local and eventually, the global market.
Today, DOST-PCAARRD through the DPITC platform supports 26 Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management (IP-TBM) Offices, 14 Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubators (ATBIs), and 4 Science for the Convergence of Agriculture and Tourism (SciCAT) sites across the country.
Gueco ended with the presentation of commercialized technologies and the Council’s aim to continue bridging inventions to innovations through TTPD.
With the theme “Science and Technology for the People,” the BCAARRD Agri-FIESTA highlighted technologies on coconut, queen pineapple, and sweet potato.