THE Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) urged state universities and colleges (SUCs) to bring more research from laboratories to the marketplace, saying commercialization is key to creating jobs, improving industries and raising living standards.
Speaking at the 2026 Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges Annual Convention on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said many research outputs remain confined to academic institutions instead of benefiting farmers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, local governments and communities.
“Too often, excellent research remains inside laboratories instead of reaching those who could benefit from it,” he said.
Balisacan described SUCs as among the country’s “greatest strategic assets,” with a critical role in developing talent, generating knowledge and turning research into practical solutions for national challenges.
He acknowledged that while Philippine universities continue to produce skilled graduates and researchers, many institutions still face resource constraints that limit their impact.
To strengthen the country’s innovation pipeline, Balisacan called for sustained investments in research and stronger support for projects aligned with national development priorities. He also stressed the need for closer collaboration among government, academe, industry, civil society and development partners.
“Our challenge is to build an environment where ideas move more quickly — from the classroom to the laboratory, from the laboratory to industry and from innovation to better lives for our people,” he said.
Balisacan noted that frameworks such as the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document 2023–2032 and the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028 already provide a roadmap for innovation-driven growth.
“Our task now is to translate them into collective action because development is achieved not by plans alone, but by institutions working together toward a common purpose,” he said. / KOC