Mindanaotoday.com | DTI holds ‘Regional Innovation Roadshow’ in Oro
By: Jasper Marie Rucat
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – To address the innovation gaps in region 10 and equip competitiveness of its industries, the Department of Trade and Industry-10 (DTI)-10 held a Regional Innovation Roadshow (RIR) at Mallberry Suites Hotel, this city, with participants coming from the business, government and academe sectors.
The RIR aims to promote awareness on Industry 4.0 Technologies and further encourage and strengthen government-industry-academe collaboration towards inclusive and sustainable industrial transformation through science, technology, and innovation.
Lilian G. Salonga, director of the DTI-Competitiveness Bureau said, “With innovation, it could already help our MSMEs produce efficiently, as well as their productivity be increased by really introducing these technologies so that requirements of their customers can be met.”
She also cited the importance of linking the academe to industries so that their research and development efforts will not be put to waste or left in the shelves of the library, “more importantly nagagamit ng industry,” she said.
One of the key initiatives in building the linkage between academe-industry-government and connecting the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem is the establishment of Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers (RIIC).
Currently, there are three local innovation programs under region 10’s Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers (RIIC): The Optimizing Regional Opportunities for Business Excellence through Science, Technology, and Innovation or OROBEST Innovation launched in 2019 based in Cagayan de Oro City, second was Innovation through Leveraging, Industry, Government, Academe Networks and inclusive Community Engagements or ILIGANiCE in Iligan City and third is Bukidnon Program for Research and Innovation towards MSME Excellence or Bukidnon PRIME led by Valencia City Chamber of Commerce.
Queritess Q. Queja, Program Director, OROBEST Innovation Program said there is a need for businesses to innovate.
“Actually the roadshow has a lot of influence in terms of the mindsets of our business sector to innovate. The business has to really innovate para we can be globally competitive and MSMEs will be at par with the global players,” she said.
With the innovation program, the OROBEST has adopted around eight technologies and commercialized five ready-to-eat and then one Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology from one University here in the region.
Pursuant to the Philippine Innovation Act, the establishment of innovation centers is intended to bolster and harmonize the efforts of both public and private sectors who are implementing an innovation agenda that will significantly contribute to the development of inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the region.
DTI regional director Ermedio Abang said, “It is inclusive as it is directed towards the creation of new ideas that result in the development of new or improvement of products, processes, or services that create value for the society.” (JMOR | PIA-10)
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