Collaborative innovation key to industry dev’t

• Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1008318
• Friday, May 18, 2018

By Apipa P. Bagumbaran (APB/PIA-10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- Strong collaboration among government agencies, the academe, and industry stakeholders is a crucial factor to put regional industries in a better position to face the challenges in both domestic and export markets.

Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba, Department of Trade and Industry(DTI) assistant secretary for Industry and Development, said the main recommendation from the different regional consultations conducted by DTI was the building of connected, creative, and innovative communities highlighted by more research and development (R&D) collaboration; strong support of legislation in terms of policies that would strengthen R&D; integration of innovation and entrepreneurship in the education curriculum; and improving the quality and utilization of government’s shared infrastructure such as shared service facilities, Fablabs, and food innovation centers.

According to Asec. Aldaba, studies conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) have shown that there is a weak linkage between industry and academe in terms of innovation due to widespread mistrust between the university and industry communities.

“What is happening is that there are more competition than collaboration. There is also a lack of strong culture of research in universities,” she noted.

These findings, she said, somehow support the low ranking of the country in terms of innovation efforts.

The Philippines ranked 73rd in the Global Innovation Index 2017, scoring lowest in creative outputs, human capital, and market sophistication.

While the private sector is seen as a major driver of growth, the government also plays a important role particularly on the crafting and implementation of policies that will support the growth of regional industries.

“By improving our business and policy environment, we can attract more investments which are going to be the source of jobs, emerging new tech industries, as well as new products and services leading to improved productivity and competitiveness,” Aldaba said.

Close coordination among government agencies is also critical.

Aldaba said collaboration and closer coordination within government can be promoted by expanding DOST-DTI innovation memorandum of understanding to include the Department of Information and Communications Technology which has a mandate over physical innovation infrastructure; the Department of Agriculture because of the R&D support it provides to the agricultural sector; the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Commission on Higher Education to grant more market-oriented research, commercialization support, and reforms in the curricula; the National Economic and Development Authority for the monitoring of innovation policy and evaluate implementation; the Department of Finance for fiscal support; and the Department of Interior and Local Government to link up with local government units.