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ISAT U students urged to pursue regional research along regn’l priority areas

ILOILO CITY, PHILIPPINES – The Research, Development and Innovation Committee (RRDIC) urged third-year Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT U) students on Wednesday, March 6, to explore research questions in the region’s research and development priority areas according to the Harmonized Regional Research, Development, and Innovation Agenda (HRRDIA).

Department of Science and Technology VI (DOST VI)-Research, Development and Innovation Committee (RRDIC) staff, Charmane B. Nochete, presented the HRRDIA during the Thesis/Capstone Brainstorming: Finding your Research Path activity of the university’s Kwarda TBI, together with the Computer Department and ISATech Society at the ISAT-U, AVR N-Building Mini Theater, La Paz, Iloilo City.

The HRRDIA, crafted through the efforts of various national government agencies (NGAs), higher education institutions (HEIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and stakeholders from the private sector, outlines the priority research areas per major sector in the region.

“[T]he government has limited resources for research . . . we have to strategize and come up with a plan on how to properly utilize these resources,” Nochete said during the activity.

The HRRDIA, featuring four sections– agriculture, aquatic and natural resources (AANR), health, industry, energy, and emerging technology (IEET), and basic research– identifies research gaps in the needs and available resources of Western Visayas.

Apart from DOST VI, Mr. Jose Francis V. Gerona of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry-Iloilo (PCCI-Iloilo) and Engr. Bueno S. Mondejar, Chairperson of the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC), also shared insights regarding the public and the private sectors’ challenges on data gaps, digitalization, and cybersecurity that could be addressed by information system (IS) and information communication technology (ICT) students.

During the open forum, students expressed their interest and shared ideas in creating ICT solutions for the region in line with the HRDDIA.

Crafted in line with the national government’s thrust to invest in building an efficient system of knowledge creation and technology generation, the HRRDIA will be the research roadmap of Western Visayas from 2023 until 2028. (CPPahila/RDIMS)