DOST asks private sector to invest on locally-developed technologies
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) asked Thursday, March 4, the private sector to adopt locally-developed technologies in putting up and expanding their businesses in the country.

DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña urged the businessmen to pour in resources on technologies developed by the country’s higher education and research institutions, and local investors.
“We urge the private sector to use science-based information and adopt technologies, especially locally developed by our universities, research institutions and inventors, in expanding your businesses and creating new ones,” he said during his talk for the Manila Water Foundation event in celebration of the World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development (WED for SusDev) held on Thursday afternoon.
"We call on your entrepreneurial spirit to invest on these technologies, in new businesses and startups or support our budding entrepreneurs as they hone their skills, engage more customers and perfect business processes to enable their ventures to grow and mature,” he added.
De la Peña cited that the DOST sought to champion innovation and create an enabling environment for it to flourish and put into action.
"The DOST gives premium to research and the generation of new knowledge. At the same time, we give equal importance to delivering these results and seeing them used to promote more inclusive socio-economic development,” he said.
"We believe that the value of science, technology and innovation can only be measured by the solutions and opportunities they provide and the positive impact they create to society,” he added.
The DOST chief said they have implemented many programs to help various sectors and communities to use science, technology and innovation to pump prime their operations and create new opportunities and trajectories for growth.
The list included SETUP or Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program, which intended to upgrade the technological capabilities and improve the productivity and efficiency of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and the Science for Change (S4C) Program, a strategy that involved the adoption of science, technology and innovation by implementing capacity-building initiatives in partnership with academic institutions and industry stakeholders to create a vibrant innovation ecosystem.
The S4C has four component programs--Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER), R&D Leadership (RDLead) Program, Collaborative R&D to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE), and Business Innovation through S&T (BIST).
De la Peña said such initiatives were undertaken in close coordination and partnership with institutions in the academe, industry, national and local government, civil society, and international partners.
"More needs to be done and we call on our partners, our engineers, partner with us and help address the challenges that confront us in this time of pandemic and as we take the path to recovery,” he said.