QUEZON CITY -- The Department of Science and Technology-Philippines Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) enters the finals of the prestigious international science engagement competition called Falling Walls Engage 2021 for its science communication social media campaign Pinoy Science in partnership with TikTok. 

Out of the 189 competitors from around the world, DOST PCIEERD is among the Top 50 Finalists in the international tilt and will be vying to be included in the Top 20 winners that will be selected by the Falling Walls Advisory Board composed of renowned scientists, communicators, and consultants with a variety of backgrounds and a shared expertise in the evaluation of science engagement projects. This will be announced between August 18 to 23, 2021. From the Top 20 winners, a Breakthrough of the Year will be selected during the Falling Walls Conference to be held in November 2021. 

The partnership between DOST-PCIEERD and TikTok was forged this year to promote science and technology specifically through the Pinoy Science TikTok account. 

Through this collaboration, Filipinos were trained to use the social media platform for science communication, Filipino-made technologies were promoted, and hashtag contests such as the #PinoyInnovator challenge was conducted. 

“We thank Falling Walls for this recognition, and we share this award with the game-changing innovations that our researchers come up with and share in this innovative platform.  We thank TikTok for this partnership and giving us a channel to share to the world Filipino ingenuity,” DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico C. Paringit said. 

The Top 20 winners of the Falling Walls Engage Competition will get a chance to present their project on stage of the Falling Walls Conference in front of an international audience of global leaders in science, politics, business, and the media, which will also be the first in-person gathering since the pandemic erupted. This will take place in Berlin, Germany from November 7 to 9, 2021 on the anniversary of the historic fall of the Berlin Wall. 

Falling Walls Engage is the global platform for science engagement, hosted by the Falling Walls Foundation in cooperation with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, which aims to provide a better understanding and public involvement in science that can help tackle global societal challenges through fact-based decision-making and contribute to the overall wellbeing of the society.  (DOST)