We are in a generation where technologies continue to emerge and evolve. Its pace is taking a vast acceleration to which people are expected to learn and adapt. Our era is characterized by the convergence of digital, physical, and biological technologies, and it is reshaping various aspects of our lives and industries. And today, as of September 2021, we are officially in the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0.
The Philippines has been making efforts to foster technology innovation and advance its tech ecosystem in recent years. And just recently, a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) has been signed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to establish university technology hubs or technohubs.
The Department of Science and Technology or DOST’s main function is to guide, oversee, and organize the nation’s technological and scientific initiatives with a focus on maximizing economic and social advantages for the general public.
Meanwhile, the role of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is to stimulate investments, provide help, register investors, provide incentives, and facilitate their business operations in locations across the nation that are suitable for export-oriented manufacturing and service facilities.
Together, they aim to invest knowledge in students that could potentially change the country’s economy. Their target is to establish technohubs on colleges and universities with spare land that focus on the key elements of today’s innovation which are robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.
Government agencies claim that ecozones at state universities and colleges (SUCs) can improve the growth conditions for startups and micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) by utilizing specialized academic spaces for regional research and development (R&D). The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and the Philippine Association of SUCs (PASUC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the creation of ecozones in SUCs on Thursday.
The goal of the knowledge, innovation, science, and technology (KIST) ecozones and parks is to mobilize academia and various industries for focused R&D initiatives and future global dissemination of technologies and goods.
The MOU came after the joint memorandum circular to develop KIST ecozones in SUCs and higher education institutions was signed by the DOST and PEZA on August 3. It was released to establish the standards and processes for assessing registration applications and administering incentives to KIST developers, operators, and locators.
The two agencies envision a Philippines KIST park for higher education institutions. KIST stands for “Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology”. One of the newest special economic zones (SEZs) under PEZA are KIST parks.
Increased research and development infrastructure, engagement with international partners, technology transfer, and the upskilling of our workforce toward innovation will all be significantly aided by KIST parks. According to Tereso Panga, director general of PEZA, if these hubs are administered effectively, they might spur economic growth throughout the entire nation. Biotechnology, food and nutrition, agriculture, engineering, electronics, robotics, renewable energy, transport solutions, data analytics, and artificial intelligence are among the priority fields for research and development. Sancho Maborang, the DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations, expressed optimism that DOST technohub will help the country’s citizens find employment and develop more homegrown innovations.
Another vision for the KIST parks is this: In an effort to draw foreign students and transform the Philippines into an education hub of Asia, KIST Parks will also allow universities to collaborate with foreign universities to bring their degree programs, skill development, and technology to their local KIST partners.
One of the goals of the KIST Ecozones is to turn HEI-owned vacant land into a more productive usage that serves STI needs. The registration and administration of financial and non-financial incentives for KIST Ecozone Developers/Operators and Locators, including start-up and spin-off businesses, must also be covered by this clause. The high-value intellectual capital and physical resources of the selected universities and colleges will be extremely beneficial to PEZA-registered businesses at the KIST Parks.
Furthermore, it should also act as a focal point of competence where ideal circumstances for innovation and business and startup companies are created by conducting a partnership among the public sector, educational institutions, corporate affairs, and the community at large.
The KIST Ecozones also aim to have an active possibilities for businesses as well as startup companies to conduct business in an exclusive economic zone and take advantage of monetary and non-fiscal incentives, that were established under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises law and the Innovative Startup Act.
Around 44 universities and colleges have expressed interest in creating KIST parks, with the objective of specializing on the strengths of each state university, according to DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. Here are the official and lined up universities that will host a KIST park.
BatStateU’s Park in Batangas is the first KIST park in the Philippines. The reason why is because the university is is without a doubt the prime location for technology transfer and commercialization in the Philippines due to its advantageous location close to other technological parks, economic centers, and transportation systems in the CALABARZON Region. It will foster and accelerate the growth of new high-tech firms, make it easier for university expertise to be transferred to locator companies, support the development of faculty- or student-based spin-offs, and stimulate the development of novel products and processes. It is envisioned as the nation’s premier seedbed and enclave for technological innovation.
Its virtual launch last 2020 has a theme “Towards a New Frontier of Knowledge-building and Innovation in Science & Technology” that intends to lead smart city networks and environmentally friendly industrial townships in Southern Luzon. A data center, a design innovation facility, and a technological hub are among the amenities of the park. It is leading an extended effort to expand state universities and colleges in the Philippines’ programs for industry, education, market collaboration, technopreneurship, startup development & acceleration focused on innovation, and knowledge co-creation in science and technology. As they lead green industrial townships and smart city networks in Southern Katagalogan and the whole province, everything will be put into motion with the help of this joint initiative from PEZA and BatStateU.
The De La Salle University Innovation Hub in Biñan, Laguna, University of Perpetual Help’s AltaHub in Cavite, and Lyceum of the Philippines-Laguna KIST Park are now approved and ready to arise. In order to find new patents and prototypes that will enable the commercialization of ecozone high-tech projects, we are anticipating the establishment of more technohubs. These parks will provide an environment that is conducive to research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Just this May 2023, the State University in Catanduanes of the Bicol Region conducted a groundbreaking ceremony of its KIST park and Agro-Industrial Economic Zone. CatSu Kist park is set to change an estimate of 263,000 citizens’ lives.
CatSU is able to mobilize the cooperation of farmers, NGOs and business chambers, scientists and researchers, and key players in the information technology and agro-sector supply chains as these examples of ecozones conform to green, inclusive, and sustainable development, fostering synergies between business and the academic community. And it is worth mentioning that these innovations are estimated to bring in a total of PhP 1.550 Billion investments.
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