by Adriel Nisperos
Top Row (Left to Right): Michael Lagaya (Moderator), PEZA Director General Charito Plaza, Vice President for Research, Development, and Extension Services Albert Amante
Middle Row (Left to Right): SEIPI President Dan Lachica, Malacañang Deputy Executive Secretary McJill Bryant Fernandez, BatStateU President Tirso Ronquillo
Bottom Row (Left to Right): IBPAP President & CEO Rey Untal, DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña
Batangas State University (BatStateU) makes history as the institution launched the first Knowledge, Innovation, and Science Technology (KIST) Park in the Philippines on July 20, 2020.
With the theme “Towards a New Frontier of Knowledge-building and Innovation in Science and Technology,” BatStateU spearheaded a virtual launching event highlighting their vision for the park as a breeding ground for knowledge generation, technology transfer, and commercialization.
The ceremony also underscored the declaration of the BatStateU KIST Park as a Special Economic Zone under Presidential Proclamation No. 947, s.2020. This will pave the way to increase support for startup and business development, boost investment attractiveness, and foster collaboration between the academic community and industries within and outside the region.
PhilDev and BatStateU
BatStateU has been actively promoting technopreneurship even before becoming a part of our Technopreneurship Hub (TechHub) network in 2016. According to Dr. Tirso Ronquillo, President of Batangas State University, PhilDev was one of the university’s first external partners when he started his term in 2014. “You [PhilDev] have a very clear account of the programs we had from the very start of my stint as President of Batangas State University. Since then, PhilDev’s support to the university’s innovation and technopreneurship programs continued.”
BatStateU’s participation in our various projects and activities is a reflection of our six-year strong partnership. BatStateU has been a part of our endeavors since the IDEA project with USAID and continues to be an active participant with our implementation of the Innovation for Social Impact Partnership (ISIP) project with UNDP Philippines and the Australian Embassy in the Philippines.
With the new KIST Park, Pres. Ronquillo sees this as an opportunity to further strengthen the university’s partnership with PhilDev in catalyzing technopreneurship in the region. “Thank you for sharing the vision with Batangas State University and ensuring the continued and strengthened partnership with us. Now, there are a lot of things we can do together around KIST. We commit to work with PhilDev [local] leadership to ensure success in achieving our goals for the benefit of the sector that we serve.”
—
Visit the Facebook page of the Batangas State University KIST Park to learn more about their upcoming programs and activities. To learn more about our TechHub project with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), visit this link.