President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had his first meeting with the National Innovation Council (NIC) to discuss the implementation of the Philippine Innovation Act.
During the meeting, which was held on Tuesday, Feb. 21, the approval of the seven executive members of the council for 2023 to 2026 was made.
According to National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General and Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, the seven executive members of the NIC come from the ranks of businesses, entrepreneurs, academe, and the scientific community.
Six executive members have been approved while a climate change expert will fill the seventh slot.
Balisacan said during the council's first meeting with the President, they presented salient features of the Republic Act No. 11293 or the Philippine Innovation Act, as well as updates on the formulation of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document, which outlines the country’s 10-year vision and long-term goals for innovation.
"On the drafting and formulation of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document, we continue to build upon the Framework of the National Innovation Agenda for 2032, which is the overall framework determining our priority areas for innovation," Balisacan said in a Palace briefing.
He added that the framework sets the theme on enabling a flourishing innovation ecosystem through the aspects of governance, policy, infrastructure, innovation finance, and culture.
In a series of consultative meetings and workshops, the NIC has established 10 National Innovation Priority Areas, namely: Learning and Education, Health, Food and Agriculture, Finance, Trade, Transportation and Logistics, as well as Public Administration, Security and Defense, Energy, and Blue Economy and Water.
"These are the areas we have identified to be our focus for development, funding, and innovation in the next 10 years," Balisacan said.
"The National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document also ties (in) closely with the outcomes and strategies laid out in Chapter 8 of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, on Advancing Research and Development, Technology, and Innovation. Together, these two documents aim at enabling a strong innovation governance to drive the innovation ecosystem towards our national innovation priority areas and long-term innovation goals of a smart and innovative Philippines that is productive, resilient, and sustainable, as well as inclusive," Balisacan added.
The NEDA chief also said that along with the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document, the establishment of the Innovation Fund signifies one of the other major outputs of the Council.
"The Innovation Fund is a revolving fund that aims to strengthen entrepreneurship and enterprises engaged in developing innovative solutions," he said.
So far, the council has approved 19 project proposals amounting to P115 million under the Innovation Grants—majority of which sought to address the pre-commercialization and commercialization requirements of innovative products or services, the enhancement of innovation facilities and services, and the conduct of capacity-building activities.
Balisacan emphasized that the current administration is bent on "promoting and advancing the culture of innovation in the country through increased collaborations with the private sector" in infrastructure development, digital transformation, and creating a more attractive and enabling business environment and investment climate.
"To be very clear, innovation plays a critical role in our pursuit for sustained and accelerated economic growth and development, as it serves as a catalyst for raising overall productivity and elevating the quality of our goods and services," the NEDA chief said.
The approval of the logo of NIC was also discussed during the meeting, Malacañang said.
The NIC is a 25-member body tasked to develop the country’s innovation goals, priorities, and long-term national strategy.
The President serves as the council’s chairperson, with the Secretary of NEDA as vice-chairperson and joined by 16 ex-officio members along with seven executive members from the private sector.