Cebu Innovation Hub to open in September

THE Cebu Innovation Council (CIC) and the Cebu City Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP) will soon establish an innovation hub that will provide free space and internet for budding entrepreneurs and startups.

Paulo Uy, president of the CIC, told SunStar Cebu that the recurring problem of startups and entrepreneurs is the lack of funding and resources to grow their businesses or projects.

He said this is the reason the Cebu City Innovation Hub will be established. This will be a workplace-cum-incubation center for startups and budding entrepreneurs who lack access to business and funding support.

“There are a lot of fresh graduates who are into startups and they want to do something but they are withheld because of lack of resources, funding and support,” Uy said.

The Cebu City Innovation Hub will be located on the second floor of the DMDP building near the Ramos Public Market. It will be officially launched in September 2019.

Uy said the space will act as an incubation for startups where they would get regular mentoring and progress briefings.

The free internet access, Uy said, will be provided by the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Maria Elena Arbon, assistant director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Central Visayas said the agency is in close coordination to support the startup ecosystem in Cebu.

“DTI supports this endeavor of the Cebu City government. During our regular community and government meetings with the startup community, the need for space and venues that can be accessed for free keeps cropping up. The Cebu City Innovation Hub will be an important component of the Cebu innovation ecosystem and it makes it more inclusive,” Arbon said.

She said this would be beneficial for startups since they would already have space for them to work on their projects.

“The DTI and its community partners also plan to run some of its StartupIsland programs in collaboration with the innovation hub,” she said.

Recently, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Republic Act 11293 or the Philippine Innovation Act which would harness innovation efforts to help the poor and the marginalized and enable micro, small and medium enterprises to be part of the domestic and global supply chain.

Under the law, “the government shall adopt a broader view in developing its innovation goals and strategies covering all potential types and sources of innovation.”

The government is allotting P1 billion for its first year implementation.

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