Hello Online World!

Researchers from the Department of Science and Technology- Advanced Science and Technology Institute are bridging the digital divide for Filipinos in rural areas by connecting them to the online world.

Through the project Resilient Education Information Infrastructure for the New Normal or Project REIINN, rural areas will be connected to the online world through community cellular networks (CCNs).

CCNs are community owned small-scale network infrastructure which provide local connectivity needs and are widely deployed around the world, providing connectivity to unserved, underserved and geographically challenging areas. It is becoming an emerging alternative solution in addressing the connectivity gap.

Project REIINN building upon the gains of the Village Base Station project which pioneered the deployment of CCNs in the Philippines. The VBTS project provided voice and SMS communication services using 2G GSM cellular technology in seven rural areas in the province of Aurora.

Project REIINN through LokaLTE.

The team will be conducting trial deployments of LokaLTE in two rural areas in the Philippines. This deployment will be the first LTE community network in the country and will allow researchers to study how LTE technology impacts service provision and subscriber behavior, among others.

DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico Paringit sees REINN as a significant step towards achieving connectivity within hard-to-reach areas such as provinces. He called on other agencies to support this initiative that intends to enhance these areas’ internet connectivity and bridging the digital divide.

“Project REIINN is a prime example of what innovation can do for the people and we will continue in supporting science-based solutions,” Paringit said.

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Ever wanted to travel to Cebu but the constant lockdowns keep hampering your plans?

Worry no more because a local startup company has been employing Virtual Reality (VR) technology to provide a 360° view of the famous beaches and tourist attractions in the province.

Mataverse, a startup corporation that specializes in the application of VR and 360° Media in business, creates solutions in different business areas to address challenges in the marketing landscape.

Through the Technology Innovation for Commercialization (TECHNICOM) Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Mataverse optimized its VR kit, which includes a web-based Virtual Tour builder and Mobile Virtual Tour Application, to jumpstart the enterprise VR ecosystem in the Philippines and bring Filipino innovation to the global technology landscape.

Mataverse combined both its technological expertise and deep understanding of the market, especially MSMEs, and enable them to control, promote, and customize VR to fit their business endeavors.

The mobile development platform allows for a more feasible symbiosis between the use of VR in the enterprise industry and the mass consumer market.

Mataverse is a startup endorsed by the DOST Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development for funding by the Technology Applications and Promotions Institute – Technology Innovation for Commercialization project.

DOST PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit encouraged citizens to avail of the services of Mataverse and see the world in the new normal.

“May Mataverse may serve as an inspiration for us to pursue more collaborations with startups who will lead the future of innovation in the country.  Solutions and opportunities await for innovative startups who would like to thrive in the new normal and DOST PCIEERD is here to guide them,” he said.

The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) will be putting up three new laboratories and funding five research projects in various regions in the country.

Under the Institution Development Program (IDP), the three new research laboratories are:

1. Establishment of Al Research Center for Community Development (AIRCoDE) - This project will establish an AI Research Laboratory in Camarines Sur State Polytechnic Colleges to strengthen the research capabilities of AI enthusiasts, faculty, and students in the field of Artificial Intelligence, such as deep learning, computer vision, etc. The establishment of the AI Research Laboratory will be a primordial step in the Philippines' continuous development to be at par with the current trends of Artificial Intelligence in other countries.
2. Establishment of ParSU Microbiology Testing Laboratory (MTL) - The establishment of the microbiology testing laboratory will complement and help in the existing research activities of Partido State University – Goa Campus in Camarines Sur. The acquisition of the requested equipment will increase the integrity of the university research outputs, improve the research skills of the faculty and students and will increase scientific publications.
3. Establishment of Mindanao Natural (MinNa) Language Processing (LProc) Research and Development Laboratory - The project’s main objective is to establish the Mindanao Natural (MinNa) Language Processing (LProc) Laboratory at the University of the Immaculate Conception in Davao City, which specifically aims to collect language resources needed in the development of the Multilingual Machine Translation (MT) System and Conversational Agent (CA) and develop a Web-based Multilingual MT System and CA among others.

Under the Regional Research Institution (RRI) program, the projects are:

1. Development of Halal Compliant Restructured Goat Meat Products - The project, to be implemented by the Sultan Kudarat State University, aims transform goat meat and milk into value-added and halal compliant products with an increased market value to suit customer needs
2. Design, Development, Testing and Implementation of Fuzzy-Proportional Plus Integral (PI) Power Factor Correction Controller (PFCC) for 10 kW Load – This project, to be implemented by the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U), seeks to design, develop, test, and implement the Fuzzy-PI PFCC for 10 kW Load that will lower power loss and increase productivity.
3. Application of Blockchain Technology to the Guimaras Mango Supply Chain- This project, to be implemented by ISAT-U, aims to ensure the authenticity of the mango products exported; the proposed study will use the blockchain technology to trace the product origin until it reaches the consumers.
4. Development of Optimized Pineapple Fiber Scraping Machine - The general objective of this research study, to be implemented by Capiz State University, is to develop an optimized mechanical pineapple fiber extractor in terms of the extraction capacity.
5. Utilization of Banana Peel, Canistel Fruit and Brown Rice in the Development of Composite Flour – To be implemented by ISAT-U, the project seeks to utilize banana peel, canistel fruit and brown rice in developing composite flour. This flour is targeted to be an ingredient in functional food.

DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico Paringit commended the project leaders in their zeal to uplift the R&D capabilities in these priority sectors in their respective regions in a pursuit to improve S&T research through their projects.

"These capacity building programs under the Human Resource Development Program (HRDP) continues to advance and strengthen Filipino R&D in keeping up with the times," Paringit said.

Under the HRDP, the IDP provides support for upgrading of research laboratories and facilities of academic and research institutions where there is an inadequacy of research expertise and/or facilities. It prioritizes new institutions in the regions which have limited capacities to conduct R&D.

As part of its support, it upgrades and/or sets up research laboratories, purchases laboratory equipment (including highly specialized software)/facilities and small research grants aimed at developing research capabilities.

On the other hand, the RRI is designed for new researchers and new institutions in doing R&D in the regions. Its goal is to develop research capabilities and increase the available researchers, scientists, and engineers in the PCIEERD priority sectors through regional consortia program.

Screenshot of the JST-UKRI-DOST Joint Panel Meeting. In the photos are (from top) JST Director for International Affairs Mr. Osamu Kobayashi of the Japan Science and Technology, DOST Assistant Secretary Dr. Leah Buendia, and UKRI Deputy Director International Development Research Dr. Mark Claydon-Smith.

The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the country’s Department of Science and Technology (DOST) virtually conducted its Joint Panel/Funders Meeting for ‘Science, Technology and Action’ Nexus for Development (STAND) last 27 August 2021. The Funders Meeting, which followed after the Joint Panel Meeting, approved the following proposals which were matched and tagged as ‘STAND’ initiatives:

1. PlastiCount Pilipinas: counting and visualizing marine plastics pollution in the Philippines (by UPD-Marine Science Institute)
2. Integrated network-based management for SEA coasts (InMSEA) - by UPD-Institute of Biology

It may be recalled that the three (3) countries/institutions have pushed for sustainable development initiatives in Southeast Asia by urging researchers to submit proposals for their multi-funder initiative that focuses on networking and partnership, building outreach and dissemination, demonstration and pilot activities, and working towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The Call was launched last November 2020, wherein, DOST received a total of six (6) proposals in February 2021.

After a rigid domestic evaluation process, the Philippine-endorsed proposals were elevated to the Joint Technical Panel Review. Following the recently concluded Funders Meeting, the management officials from the 3 institutions approved for funding these two (2) proposals.  The Philippine government will provide a maximum budget of Php 5 million per project, implemented for one year.  This will be complemented by ¥5,000,000 (approximately Php2.3M) from JST, and an in-kind contribution from the UKRI.  The projects are expected to start by October/November of this year.