The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) conducted on Monday, May 30 its first S&T Fellows Convention; a way of promoting the agency's S&T Fellows Program.
According to DOST, the program aims to engage the services of highly qualified researchers, scientists, and engineers in various DOST research and development (R&D) Institutes and Councils to increase and strengthen the human resource complement of the Department’s R&D group.
With the theme, “Undertaking R&D initiatives, creating ripples of change,” the event highlighted S&T Fellow-led R&D programs, projects, and proposals, welcomed newly-hired S&T Fellows, and encouraged applications of experts from various fields.
“It is now almost a year since the idea of supplementing the workforce of DOST agencies with MS and Ph.D. graduates from different S&T specializations came into fruition. And to celebrate this milestone, we are having our first S&T Fellows Convention,” DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Pena said.
This five-year project of DOST under the Office of the Undersecretary for Research and Development (OUSecRD) offers competitive compensation to strengthen the R&D workforce in the Department.
De la Peña mentioned that they are confident that more than the compensation that DOST offers, it is in the heart of the scientists to share their knowledge and expertise in service to the country and the Filipino people.
Currently, there are 43 S&T Fellows hired out of the 68 total targets for the first year. There are now 32 S&T Fellows actively reporting in their assigned DOST R&D Institutes and Councils. The remaining 11 will start their stint in June or July this year.
“Since its inception, we are constantly looking for brilliant, diligent, and passionate S&T experts, who are willing and able to become S&T Fellows who will undertake R&D initiatives that would create ripples of positive change,” Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara explained.
“The S&T Fellows Program, together with the other human resource development programs of DOST such as the RD Lead Program and Balik Scientist Program, provide a holistic solution in addressing the lack of S&T experts in the country at the organizational, regional, and national level. Through these programs, we hope that we can encourage more Filipino S&T experts to contribute to shaping the country’s R&D landscape,” she added.