BATANGAS CITY --Batangas State University takes the lead on engineering research as it spearheaded the recent launch of the Building Research and Innovation Development Goals for Engineering SUCs (BRIDGES) program together with 39 other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the country. The collaboration was formalized through a virtual Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony with all partner institutions held via Zoom on July 13-14  from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

BRIDGES is a research program spearheaded by the Batangas State University that is geared towards responding to the problems of the community through active research collaboration with selected engineering SUCs from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Proposed by the University President, Dr. Tirso A. Ronquillo and approved by the Board of Regents last December 2020, the BRIDGES Program will be funded by Batangas State University with a shared counterpart funding from partner institutions based on mutually agreed Work and Financial Plan. The total budget for the first phase of BRIDGES amounts to over 22 million pesos.

Six (6) projects were initially identified under the BRIDGES program which ultimately aims to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to specifically address challenges in the areas of resilient infrastructure, disaster risk reduction and management, tourism, GIS application development, and agriculture e-commerce, among others.

Led by Batangas State University, the other 39 collaborating SUCs under the six (6) projects include Bataan Peninsula State University, Bicol University, Bukidnon State University, Bulacan Agriculture State College, Bulacan State University, Camiguin Polytechnic State College, Caraga State University, Cavite State University, Cebu Technological University, Central Mindanao University, Central Philippines State University, Don Honorio Ventura State University, Eastern Samar State University, 

Guimaras State College, Ifugao State University, Iloilo Science and Technology University, Isabela State University, Jose Rizal Memorial State University, Kalinga State University, Laguna State Polytechnic University, Mariano Marcos State University, Marinduque State College, Mindoro State University, Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Pampanga State Agricultural University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Quirino State University, Rizal Technological University, Romblon State University, Samar State University, Southern Philippine Agri-Business, Marine & Aquatic School of Technology, Tarlac Agricultural University, Tarlac State University, Technological University of the Philippines, University of Rizal System, University of Southeastern Philippines, University of Southern Mindanao and Western Mindanao State University. More SUCs are targeted to be enjoined in the next phases of BRIDGES.

Joined by their respective Project Management Teams, the Presidents of the participating SUCs expressed their commitment to fully support the BRIDGES Program. In his final message, President Ronquillo gave the ways forward and expressed gratitude for the support of the participating SUCs.

Batangas State University is a Level IV state university in the CALABARZON region, and the only SUC in the country accredited by the US Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for its Engineering and Information Technology programs. It is rated 3 stars in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) list of top universities and has the highest number of ASEAN Engineers faculty among Philippine higher education institutions.