DOST-PCAARRD Portal

Cacao R&D Center officially launched in Kabacan, Cotabato

With funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), University of Southern Mindanao (USM) launched the Cacao R&D Center on August 27, 2021, as part of the Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER) program.

The NICER Program, under the DOST’s Science for Change Program, aims to improve regional research in higher education institutions (HEIs) and therefore creates equal research and development capabilities in every region of the country.

The Cacao R&D Center is expected to address challenges affecting the cacao industry and hopes to increase supply amidst increasing global and local demand for cacao beans and byproducts.

DOST-PCAARRD Acquaints its Regional Consortia with the SAFE and ISLA Programs

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) commits to contribute disaster risk reduction (DRR) and management and post-disaster community rehabilitation and reinforcement in the country.

With this commitment, the Council promotes the wider implementation of PCAARRD’s S&T Action Frontline for Emergencies and Hazards (SAFE) Program as well as the Inclusive Science for Livelihood in Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources (ISLA) in Small Islands Program to its regional Consortia.

Recently, a virtual meeting was held with officials and researchers from partner Regional Consortia and its Member Institutions with the goal of providing them with a common understanding on the SAFE Program and to clearly distinguish it from projects under the GALING-PCAARRD Kontra CoViD-19 Program and other technology transfer and extension modalities like S&T Community-Based Farm (STBCF), Science for the Convergence of Agriculture and Tourism (SciCAT), among others.

Ilocos region’s agri-food products pitched to potential investors

Ilocos Region’s local agri-food products, developed through research and development (R&D) of state colleges and universities (SUCs) in the region, were virtually pitched by trained technology transfer officers to potential investors and industry partners.

Potential investors and industry partners from various private food companies and local government officers such as Ilocos Norte Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Provincial Director, Dr. Rosario Q. Qoudala and Ilocos Norte Trade and Investment Promotions Center (INVEST) provincial head, Ms. Soya Bueno, also attended the pitch day.

DOST-PCAARRD supports webinar on bamboo industry opportunities

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Northern Mindanao support the government’s call to strengthen the promotion of commercializing bamboo.

To tap the potential of the local bamboo industry, ECCP, in partnership with DOST-PCAARRD, held its final webinar installment in the Bamboo series, “Untapped Green Sector: Opportunities in the Bamboo Industry III” on July 19, 2021 via Zoom.

Researchers, LGU and private institution representatives attended the webinar. The featured guest speakers were Dr. Florentino Tesoro, President of the Philippine Bamboo Society of Advocates, Inc. (PBSAI) and Mr. Jishu Basak, Data Scientist of Code Ninja Co. and Machine Learning Engineer.