The Governing Council of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) approves Capiz State University’s (CAPSU) proposal for the Regional Agri-Aqua Innovation System Enhancement (RAISE) for Western Visayas on December 2, 2021, with Dr. Efren L. Linan, CAPSU’s Vice President for Research, Development, and Extension, as the Program Leader.
The Program is composed of four projects, namely; (1) Regional Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management (IP-TBM), (2) IP-centric Agribusiness Hub: Bridging Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the AANR Sector, (3) Regional Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubator (ATBI), and (4) Making Knowledge that Benefit Society Accessible to Everyone.
Dr. Efren L. Linan and Prof. Mark Glenn F. Villamor of Capiz State University will lead projects one (1) and three (3) while Ms. Ferelyn F. Oliva and Prof. Rhea J. Subong of the University of the Philippines Visayas will supervise projects two (2) and four (4).
The general objective of the program is to mirror the functions and initiatives of the DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center (DPITC) in Western Visayas by providing assistance to WESVAARRDEC on intellectual property management and transfer of technologies of Consortium Member Institutions (CMIs).
Specifically, the program aims to (1) manage Region VI’s AANR technologies and intellectual properties; (2) support Region VI’s CMI partners in developing their respective technology transfer programs; (3) provide capability building on technology transfer to R&D partners; (4) provide a venue for convergence of Region VI’s AANR stakeholders from the academe, public, private sectors, NGOs and international partners; (5) facilitate public-private access to AANR technologies to improve the innovation ecosystem in Western Visayas; and (6) strengthen existing and forge new Public-Private Partnerships for R&D Results Utilization (RDRU).
The RAISE Program for Western Visayas will involve one (1) regional lead agency which is Capiz State University and ten CMIs which include Aklan State University (ASU), Central Philippines State University (CPSU), Guimaras State College (GSU), Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC), University of Antique (UA), Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC), Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT U), West Visayas State University (WVSU), Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF), and the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).
Five of these SUCs (ASU, CPSU, GSC, NIPSC, and UA) have a foregoing partnership with CAPSU in the SUSTAIN IP-TBM project also funded by the DOST-PCAARRD will end in June 2022. The program will implement a mentor-mentee-regional approach to enhance further the innovation ecosystem of Western Visayas’s agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sectors.
The Program will run for 24 months starting January 2022 and end in December 2023 with a total budget of Php 45.2 million. Php 38.5 million of the said amount will come from DOST-PCAARRD, while Php 6.7 million will come from the resources of the SUCs involved.