March 29, 2024

Technology innovators in the Cordillera are being encouraged to apply for funds from the Department of Science and Technology.

DOST-Cordillera Director Nancy Bantog has encouraged the youth, students, higher educational institutions, local research and development institutions, and start-up companies to avail of the agency’s funds under its various programs.

For the students, the DOST’s Youth Empowerment Through Technopreneurship (YET) provides P250,000 grant to develop their entrepreneurial competencies  and P350,000 for young professionals with researches that are viable for commercialization.

Women-led social enterprises may also apply for assistance under the DOST’s Women-Helping-Women: Innovating Social Enterprises (WHISE) program that offers P5 million grant to support women who want to adopt technology.

The YET and WHISE are under the DOST’s Startup Grant Fund Program (SGF).

Bantog said the DOST funded six proposals worth P21.5M in 2022 and 27 proposals worth P89M in 2021 under the SGF program.

“The program is competitive. The proposals must offers solutions to current problems,” she said.

The DOST is also offering grants of up to P2 million to fast track the commercialization of projects with existing intellectual property (IP) rights or technology-based start-up companies that have potential for IP application.

Funding assistance are also available under the Technology Business Incubation for potential technology-based businesses and Technology Innovation for Commercialization that aims to commercialize the products that were already developed by the innovators, but are yet to be commercialized.

Bantog said the DOST provides funding assistance and grants to innovations done by innovators in the Cordillera for the Cordillerans.

The DOST will showcase the innovative products developed by various groups in the region during the CordInnovation 2023 exhibit at the Malcolm Square on April 25 and 26. – Jane B. Cadalig