GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) -- The Mindanao State University (MSU)-General Santos and the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (IIT) jointly organized the recently held 1st inaugural MSU System Research, Extension, and Internationalization (REI) Summit at the Grand Summit Hotel in General Santos City.
According to MSU System President Atty. Basari D. Mapupuno, the primary objective of the 1st MSU System REI Summit was to establish a dynamic platform that serves as a marketplace for sharing and discussing frameworks, ideas, experiences, and best practices related to research, extension, and internationalization.
Mapupuno emphasized the need to “incentivize research and provide fresh stimulus” for generating new knowledge, introducing innovations, and increasing publications and production.
“We must foster the creation of cultural and innovative communities that generate business opportunities and provide technopreneurial extension services to communities for livelihood and skills enhancement with the aim of alleviating proverty, enhancing food security and promoting self reliance,” he said.
The MSU president further elaborated that the summit aimed to foster a culture of research and extension across all MSU campuses by facilitating communication and promoting collaboration.
The Summit, he added, provided an exceptional opportunity for the MSU System campuses to embrace inquiry and collaboration, driving innovation and progress through internationalization.
As the host university of the event, MSU Gensan Chancellor Usman D. Aragassi expressed his appreciation for the support of the MSU campuses in realizing greater outputs for the entire MSU system.
“We need to make sure that we keep talking, we keep communicating with other campuses, we keep on listening to the needs of our people in our service areas and nearby communities,” Aragassi said.
Rather than being mere partners, he encouraged all attendees to function as a cohesive team, bringing out the best in each other to build a strong profile in research, extension, and internationalization.
With the theme "International Visibility and Increasing Public Value through Research and Extension," the Summit addressed the contemporary challenges faced by academia, where global competitiveness and public value have become increasingly important.
Aragassi believes that by highlighting the value of intercampus collaboration on research, service, and internationalization initiatives, the MSU system will become more strong, with the Summit acting as a springboard in that direction. (Harlem Jude Ferolino, PIA SarGen)
