ILIGAN CITY (PIA)—The collaboration of stakeholders pushing for a more inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Northern Mindanao took the spotlight once again with the launching of the  Innovation through Leveraging, Industry, Government, Academe Networks and inclusive Community Engagements (ILIGANiCE) program on Wednesday, June 30.

The second innovation program in the region, ILIGANiCE will assist micro, small, and medium enterprises(MSMEs), startups and aspiring entrepreneurs by developing innovation policies that will facilitate more dynamic economic activities.

“To sustain their [MSMEs] performance and help them secure or maintain their hold in the market, MSMEs need to be more innovative for them to be more competitive. Hence, we should be aggressive in our efforts in cultivating the innovation culture among our people especially the MSMEs,” said Usec Sancho Mabborang of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Operations during the launching.

To do this, Mabborang underscored the importance of establishing partnerships and linkages between the government, the academe, research institutions and industry as this collaboration could result in an improved institutional capacity and governance. 

“These links can also help us craft sound and intelligent innovation policies that are based on the actual needs of the industries whether in their human resource capabilities, infrastructure or technology,” he said.

Mabborang said through the convergence the government will be able to invest public funds in areas where they are needed most while the academe can align their curricula or research priorities to the industry needs.

“Industry players will be able to improve their operations through the assistance from the government, academe and other sectors, ultimately contributing to national economic progress and development especially in the countryside,” he added. (APB/PIA-10/ICIC)