The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) is among the Top 50 finalists for the prestigious international science engagement competition Falling Walls Engage 2021 in Berlin, Germany.
Out of the 189 applications received by Falling Walls Engage from 189 countries, the DOST-PCIEERD made it to the list of finalists for its science communication social media campaign Pinoy Science in partnership with TikTok.
"Out of the 189 competitors from around the world, DOST PCIEERD is among the Top 50 Finalists in the international tilt and will be vying to be included in the Top 20 winners which will be selected by the Fallings Walls Advisory Board composed of renowned scientists, communicators, and consultants with a variety of backgrounds and a shared expertise in the evaluation of science engagement projects,” the DOST-PCIEERD said in a statement on Thursday, Aug. 12.
The Council said the Top 20 winners will be known on Aug. 18 to 23, 2021.
“From the Top 20 winners, a Breakthrough of the Year will be selected during the Falling Walls Conference in November 2021.”
The DOST-PCIEERD said the Top 20 winners will get a chance to present their science engagement project in front of an international audience of global leaders in science, politics, business, and the media. It will be conducted on Nov. 7 during the Falling Walls Engage Pitches—depending on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) regulations.
This year’s Falling Walls Engage is expected to take place in Berlin as part of the Falling Walls Conference 2021 on Nov. 7 to 9, the first in-person event that reunites the science community internationally, Falling Walls Engage said in its website.
“On November 9, the Breakthroughs of the Year in 10 categories including Science Engagement will be announced during the Falling Walls Grand Finale,” it said.
In 2021, the DOST-PCIEERD signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with TikTok to promote homegrown technologies through its science communication TikTok account @pinoyscience.
Under the partnership, TikTok provides training for researchers on how to use the platform for science communication, promotion of Filipino technologies, and conduct contests for the Filipino TikTok community.
“We thank Falling Walls for this recognition, and we share this award with the game-changing innovations that our researchers come up with and share in this innovative platform. We thank TikTok for this partnership and giving us a channel to share to the world Filipino ingenuity,” DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico C. Paringit said.
Serving as the global platform for science engagement, Falling Walls Engage is hosted by the Falling Walls Foundation in cooperation with the Robert Bosch Stiftung. It seeks to provide a better understanding and public involvement in science that can help tackle global societal challenges through fact-based decision-making and contribute to the overall well-being of the society.