The Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI) continues to spice up the promotion of the DOST laboratories with the third leg of the #SPICEStoDOSTLabS on 26 February 2020 at the Food and Nutrition Institute (DOST-FNRI), Taguig City
The #SPICEStoDOSTLabS or the “Strategic Promotion through Integrating Collaboration and Engagement of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to Support the Technology Transfer and Commercialization of DOST-Developed Technologies including Testing Laboratories and Services” provides a venue for the DOST research and development institutes (RDI) and stakeholders for demonstration, orientation, and dissemination of DOST laboratories and services.
The event showcased the DOST-FNRI laboratories as the country’s premier laboratories for chemical, microbiological, and biochemical analyses of food and functional food, feed, water quality and safety, and biological samples, comparable with international laboratories.
Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director of DOST-FNRI gave an overview of the work they are doing particularly in addressing the malnutrition in the country.
“We are supportive of the different programs of the government so that we will be able to address malnutrition. How we solve malnutrition is through different research and development (R&D) initiatives like developing products in respond to the nutrition situation,” said Dir. Capanzana.
Dir. Capanzana added that they develop different models of intervention which the industry clients could adopt to improve their products.
Under the Technology Transfer Day Project, the event widens the scope of technology transfer and commercialization by offering services in R&D that the industry clients need.
“Many of the industry sectors are not aware of the technologies developed by the DOST, thus the reason to conduct technology transfer activities. By expanding the technology transfer activities through the #SPICEStoDOSTLabS, industry sectors are now given a platform to know more about the laboratories and services of the DOST and not just the developed technologies,” said Engr. Edgar I. Garcia, Director of DOST-TAPI.
Dir. Garcia also said that knowing the equipment, facilities, and laboratories opens the avenue to tap or avail these offered services.
“In essence, this activity is the DOST’s answer to the industry’s needs in terms of testing and analysis that they might need in their businesses,” mentioned Dr. Diane L. Ignacio, DOST Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Management, Management Services, and Special Concerns, in her Message of Support.
Asec. Ignacio also discussed the difficulty for MSMEs to be self-sustaining in their testing and analysis requirement and putting up their own expensive facilities, and that is why such facilities were put up by the government particularly DOST.
Furthermore, one-on-one consultations were provided to interested clients to discuss their specific needs and queries.
Designed as a series of laboratory visits, #SPICEStoDOSTLabS featured premier laboratories of the Department with the Advanced Device and Materials Testing Laboratory (ADMATEL) as its first stop in September 2019 and the Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) as its second stop in October 2019.
The next stop will showcase the laboratories of the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI).
More than 50 guests from the industry, government offices, and academe attended the event.
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