📋 Tender Overview
Some 16 universities across countries in Southeast Asia, India and Africa entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for a joint collaboration in this years University Incubator Consortium (UNIIC) Ideathon along with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to encourage innovations among students.
Dr. Angelina Yee, director of Research and Enterprise at the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, said that both educators and learners will benefit from the collaborations of universities, which also include enhancing access to research and development resources.
Dr. Angelina Yee, director of Research and Enterprise at the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation in Malaysia, shares the benefits of the UNIIC Ideathon for the students and faculty in advancing research.
We also look into joint collaborations in terms of research and publications. We also benefited from teaching. Anyone can share. How do you teach this more interestingly? We share knowledge in teaching and learning as well, she said.
The UNIIC Ideathon brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to foster cross-cultural exchange and encourage innovative solutions to global challenges. It provides a platform for early-stage startups to present their ideas while offering investors opportunities to discover new ventures.
The Philippines hosted this years UNIIC Ideathon through the collaboration of Palawan State University (PSU), Western Philippines University (WPU), Mindoro State University (MinSU), and DOST MIMAROPA.
DOST Regional Director Dr. Ma. Josefina P. Abilay said this activity will not just expose the faculty and students to technopreneurial culture but also encourage them to venture into it.
We would like to have more technopreneurs in the future instead of employees-And also, for faculty researchers, we would like to have them do cross-border R&D, not just domestic. We widen our perspective, and while we widen our perspective, we address the local needs for R&D, she said.
She also suggested having a co-incubation project among members of the consortium, citing the presence of technology business incubators like PSU and WPU. The PSUs Palawan International Technology Business Incubator (PITBI) has assisted several startups since 2016 and currently incubates about 35 businesses.
Palawan State University president Dr. Ramon Docto views the UNIIC Ideathon as a good platform to also commercialize the product of the studies for the benefit of the university and community.
Ang research natin noon ay natutulog lang o nalalagay lang sa shelves. Because of this UNIIC, gawin natin na yong products of research ay magkaroon ng commercialization--not only in the Philippines, but maybe with the consortium, we can have this commercialized in other countries, he said.
WPU president Dr. Amabel Liao also shared views with Docto, believing that students will be encouraged to innovate and discover more if they see their inventions bring economic success.
The university aims to encourage students to make a difference in the world by assisting their ideas through incubation until they can operate on their own, she added.
With this activity, when they have good ideas and are placed inside our university incubator, that means we are holding their hands. We are coaching them, and we are making sure that their good ideas will become successful, she said.
