CENTRAL Luzon inventors, both young and adults, are once again urged to join in the 2019 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits (Rice) to showcase their capabilities, ingenuity, and creativity.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Central Luzon is calling on public and private sector inventors, as well as college and high students to join in this year's contest, which will be held on November 19 to 22 at the Lucio Tan Hall of Central Luzon State University in Nueva Ecija.
The event will serve as a qualifying round for the National Invention Contest and Exhibits that will be hosted by the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (Tapi) of the DOST.
Rice is a regional competition that started in 2011. The competition was divided into invention category (Tuklas), utility model category, industrial design category, and creative research category. The contest also gives opportunity for students to participate through the Student Creative Research Categories for high school and college.
Invention and Utility Model refers to any technical solution of a problem in any field of human activity which is new and must be covered by a patent or registration granted by the Intellectual Property Right Office of the Philippines (Ipophil).
For industrial design, it pertains to any composition of lines or colors or any three dimensional form whether or not associated with lines or colors, provided that such composition or form gives a special appearance which can serve as pattern for an industrial product or handicraft. It must also be IPOPHIL-registered.
Creative research, on the other hand, is to patent pending inventions, registration pending utility models and industrial designs and research results not yet applied for patent or registration. It may be new and useful machines, devices, gadgets, products or processes not contrary to public order, morals, public health and welfare.
Student Creative Research applies to new and innovative projects or models developed by college and high school students that possess features and characteristics that may have significant contribution to the promotion of science and technology innovations that are not contrary to public order, morals, public health and welfare.
Rice is conducted in different regions to highlight the creative innovations of inventors, researchers and students in the country. This is pursuant to Section 4 of Republic Act 7459, also known as Inventors and Invention Incentives Act of the Philippines.
Interested parties may contact DOST-Central Luzon for more details.