DOST secretary shares the agency’s efforts in promoting inclusive innovation at UNESCAP Forum
DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña participated at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Forum on Frontiers of Inclusive Innovation as a speaker in the closing session titled “Expanding Frontiers of Inclusive Innovation: The Way Forward” last 03 December 2021.
With six online sessions that ran through November and December 2021, the forum conducted policy exchanges and identified recommendations and suggestions for promoting technology and innovation policies that will leave no one behind.
Secretary de la Peña shared the Philippines’ efforts on inclusive innovation through the initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) such as (i) the Community Empowerment thru Science and Technology (CEST) program that strengthens communities, especially the marginalized; (ii) the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) that has assisted thousands of MSME beneficiaries for productivity upgrading and strengthening market competitiveness; and (iii) the Science for Change Program through niche centers in all 17 regions of the country in collaboration with state universities and colleges and pushing more engagements of local companies and R&D experts in strengthening their research capabilities.
The Secretary concluded his remarks by highlighting that the DOST consults all sectors from the ideation phase to project evaluation and implementation to ensure that its STI initiatives are inclusive.
Link to the recorded session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMqodmY-jJo (By Karen Lou Mabagos, ITCU-DOST)
