ILIGAN CITY (PIA)—A collaborative program that aims to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of local enterprises through the adoption of scientifically developed technologies has been launched here Wednesday, June 30.
The launching was held online through the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-X, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-10, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation of Iligan, Inc. (CCIFII), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) program.
Dubbed as Innovation through Leveraging, Industry, Government, Academe Networks and inclusive Community Engagements (ILIGANiCE), the program will serve as a channel for micro, small, and medium enterprises to improve and enhance their goods or services particularly in the areas of research and development, technology upgrading, and other innovation-related needs.
It also aims to assist startups and aspiring entrepreneurs by developing innovation policies that will facilitate a more dynamic economic activity, and promoting a sustainable innovation system through community engagements and partnerships.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-X, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-10, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation of Iligan, Inc. (CCIFII), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) program ink a memorandum of understanding for innovation ecosystem development in Iligan City through the ILIGANiCE program.
“It’s a program that is based on the principle of collaboration between the academe and the community because we believe that the greater the scope of collaboration, the bigger the impact it will have to the entire community. Through ILIGANiCE, we will strategically connect and engage the academe and the community through our various activities,” said Dr. Jinky Bornales, MSU-IIT's Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension and ILIGANiCE Project Leader.
DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña who joined the launching commended MSU-IIT and its partners from the government and private sector for setting up ILIGANiCE saying the program is timely, necessary, and will benefit not just Iligan City but also Northern Mindanao and the whole country.
“There are now two innovation hubs in Northern Mindanao, the OROBEST in Cagayan de Oro, and we have now ILIGANiCE that is trying to create an ecosystem that will generate the innovations for economic and social benefits not only for the people in this region but for the whole country,” he said. (APB/PIA-10/ICIC)
