The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NCRP) headed by Dr. Marieta B. Sumagaysay, the NRCP Executive Director, Dr. Ricardo P. Babaran, CAPSU RDLeader, Mr. Marfy H. Lita, the Project Development Officer of RDLead Program, visited Capiz State University. A courtesy call with the University President Dr. Editha C. Alfon and a presentation of the RDLead Programs, Outputs, and Roadmap for the current and future researches in the fishery sector were conducted.
Dr. Efren L. Linan, the Vice President for Research, Development, and Extension Office, gave his warm welcome to the NCRP representatives and showed an overview of the situation of the research efforts at the national and local levels. He stated that the aim of CAPSU is to become a great contributor to the growth of the Philippines.
Dr. Sumagaysay soon followed up with her message as she introduced the core functions of the NRCP and the types of researches that they are actively funding. She stated that their funding prioritization is mainly on basic research is divided into two categories; free basic research which is curiosity-driven and oriented basic research which later on, is followed up with applied research.
Dr. Sumagaysay also introduced the National Integrated Basic Research Agenda (NIBRA) which specifies the researches that are sought out at the national level which has a higher probability of being funded by the DOST.
As the event continued, Dr. Babaran shared his observations which can potentially help in developing the functions of the Research and Development of CAPSU even further. He was able to suggest insights on how to develop and capacitate the faculty and staff of CAPSU, maximize the utilization of facilities, infrastructures, and other resources of the university and use them in research. Some minor adjustments to the R & D policies could further enhance the productivity of the faculty researchers was further recommended.
As the designated RD Leader, Dr. Babaran is focused on strengthening the R&D capabilities of the CAPSU Faculty researchers within the fisheries program. His responsibilities are divided into three phases; the first tranche is focused on developing the research foundations of the institution and developing efficient research culture practices; the second tranche is focused on the publication, intellectual property applications, technicality in creating research outputs, and infrastructure development plan; lastly, the third tranche which will be the actual hands-on activities that will apply the previous capability buildings that were stated.
Furthermore, Dr. Linan was very appreciative of the suggestions and constructive criticism of the NCRP representatives towards the strengthening of the CAPSU R&D. He stated that some of the suggestions are currently being carried out gradually and some of the issues were already addressed. At the end of the talk, Dr. Sumagaysay revealed that she is also the Chairperson of the Asian Fisheries Society Network and said that she will be more than willing to help CAPSU achieve internationalization in terms of Fisheries and Aquaculture.