DAVAO DEL NORTE - The Department of Science and Technology-Davao Region (DOST-Davao) launched four major programs during the opening of the Regional Science and Technology Week (RSTW) 2023, November 9, at the atrium of Tagum City Hall.
These are on top of the various DOST science, technology, and innovation (STI) programs that are put together in the RSTW Exhibit classified based on the DOST direction for 2023-2028 strategic pillars, namely Human Well-being, Wealth Creation, Wealth Protection, and Sustainability.
DOST-Davao Regional Director Anthony C. Sales and National Scientist, Dr. Lourdes J. Cruz, together with Tagum City Councilor Committee Chair on Science and Technology Ronald Eliot, and Tagum City Mayor Executive Assistant IV Ciara Isabelle Uy-Salazar, pushed the button of lights to showcase the four programs during the RSTW Week opening rites.
First presented was the Sentro Mindanaw, which is being renewed to promote science consciousness through fun-filled Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovations (SETI) learning experience “to foster scientific literacy in the society.”
DOST-Davao designs the Sentro Mindanaw to position as a “potential educational tourism destination in Davao Region” while also providing a shared space and resources for “integrated and inclusive learning, co-creation of ideas, and collaboration on science, technology, culture and the arts."
DOST-Davao also featured the Food Processing Innovation Center (FPIC) Davao which is the first Regional Food Innovation Center established through the High Impact Technology Solutions (HITS) program of DOST.
The FPIC Davao provides innovative food technologies from raw materials found in local communities while also giving technical support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) food processors, students, faculty members, and researchers in the Davao Region and nearby provinces.
Also presented for wider acceptance and use was the Social and Human Sciences, Education, Culture, and Communication and Information (SECCI) for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) scorecard.
DOST said that the SECCI SDG Scorecard was developed based on the past methodologies and was further enhanced based on the integrated learnings from the users of SETI for SDG Scorecard.
In the field of innovations, DOST-Davao featured the SalikLakbay Website and Application that is aimed at archiving economy solutions and grassroots innovations generated from conducting solutions mapping. The platform also showcases innovations and uniquely crafted projects addressing productivity needs at the localities.
Meanwhile, these four featured DOST programs form part of the 2023 RSTW
Exhibit showcasing more than 20 programs and projects grouped under four major categories.
Arranged under the Human Well-being category are the S&T (Science and Technology) Undergraduate Scholarship Program, the STARBOOKS or the Science and Technology Academic and Research-based Openly-Operated Kiosks, the Philippine Genome Center (PGC), the Mindanao Renewable Energy R&D Center (MREC), the Food Processing Innovation Center (FPIC).
Under the Wealth Creation exhibit classification are the DOST Packaging and Labelling, Digital Design and Prototyping Hub (DigiHub) Fabrication Laboratory Davao, the Real-time Online Surveillance (ROSANNA) for Banana, the Halal Blockchain, the One-stop Laboratory Services for Global Competitiveness (OneLab), the Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), and the SMAARDEC or the Southern Mindanao Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium.
The Wealth Protection Category includes the Vertical Helophyte Filter System (VHFS) water treatment, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(Phivolcs), while exhibits under Sustainability category are the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) and the Grassroots Innovations for Inclusive Development (GRIND).
Aside from the exhibits, there are also displays on robotics, inventions, and Sentro Mindanaw Science experiments. PR