Watch Out for More Innovation from the Regions, Says DOST
by Faith P. Macatangay
Innovation need not be confined to cities.
Each region is eyed to be a breeding ground for innovation through the establishment of Metals and Engineering Innovation Centers (MEIC). Leading the regions where MEIC establishment is concerned are the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Regions I, II, III, and X.
The MEICs are especially designed to cater to peculiar metalworking needs of the regions, and this will be realized through the partnership of the Department of Science and Technology-Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC) with the academe: the Ifugao State University (CAR), the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in Region I, the Cagayan State University (CSU) in Region II, the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) in Region III, and University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) in Region X.
Playing a crucial role in the roll-out of the MEIC project are the DOST Regional Offices which are nominating academic institutions as prospective MEICs.
Fabrication equipment will be installed in the MEICs. These will be included in the mainstream engineering and engineering-related curricula of the partner academic institutions. The MEIC will not only house equipment and technology, but will be a center for research and development activities as well as a hub where metalworking expertise will be optimized and shared to encourage continual innovation.
The MEIC project team conducted a site inspection of the MEICs in preparation for the arrival and installation of equipment. Very soon, product development, fabrication, and manufacturing will be a productive economic activity in the countryside.
