DOST Regional Offices staff gathered for a 5-day workshop last January 20-24, 2020 at the Vivere Hotel and Resorts, Alabang, Muntinlupa City in preparation for S & T roadmapping for a more effective implementation of the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP2).
The workshop was organized by DOST-NCR in partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).
The DOST-NCR leads the implementation of the Project 1 component of the transition Program for Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program 2.0 (SETUP 2.0). Project 1's primary objective is to generate S&T roadmaps for selected priority industries. These roadmaps will serve as a 10- year framework for the S&T interventions of the Regional Offices (ROs).
The training aimed to capacitate the Regional Offices' (RO) staff on the creation of tools and conduct of perception surveys, focused group discussions (FGDs), and technology scanning and benchmarking which are essential data gathering tools for S&T roadmapping activities for selected industries and commodities namely: 1. high-value vegetables, 2. organic agricultural products, 3. coffee-based products, 4. cacao-based products, 5. baked products, 6. seaweeds, 7. furniture, 8. natural fibers / wearables / weaving, 9. electronics, 10. tool and die, 11. shipbuilding / marine transport, and 12. agrimachinery / farm implements / food processing equipment.
Regional Directors and staff from the 16 regions participated in the workshop. DOST-NCR Regional Director, Jose B. Patalinjug III, Project Leade ..nnr, gave the welcome remarks on the first day of the event. He mentioned that the event is one of the major activities of the project that resulted from long negotiations with different concerned institutions and offices. He thanked the unyielding support for the project of Undersecretary Brenda L. Nazareth-Manzano of the Office of Regional Operations (ROS) and all the Regional Directors. He also gave a brief refresher on the goals of the project, which is to "set the direction and strengthen the implementation of technology transfer and commercialization and science and technology services to address the requirements of priority industries and sectors under SETUP". Divided into two main topics, the 5-day activity consisted of lectures and workshop on the creation of tools, formulation of guide questions, identification of partners, and a mock conduct of technology scanning.
Regional Directors, Dr. Nancy A. Bantog (DOST-CAR), Dr. Armando Q. Ganal (DOST-I), Dr. Martin Wee (DOST-IX), Dir. Alfonso P. Alamban (DOST-X), Dr. Anthony C. Sales (DOST-XI) and OIC-RD Mahmud L. Kingking (DOST-XII) and Engr. Rowen R. Gelonga (DOST-VI RD), SETUP 2.0 Program Leader, also joined the 5-day activity.
Both national and regional S&T roadmaps will be generated at the end of the project. These S&T roadmaps will be the basis for the provision of S&T interventions both on the firm and industry levels. Data gathering activities for the project will be done in close coordination with existing SETUP clients, industry associations, and government agencies.
