Funded by the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, the GRACE Hub, whose office was inaugurated on September 16, 2024, is a project led by multi-awarded academic researchers Donald G. Manlapaz, PhD, PTRP (Department of Physical Therapy) and Agnes L. Castillo, PhD, RPh (Department of Pharmacy).

Aiming to contribute to the attainment of UN Sustainable Development Goals on Good Health and Well-being and Quality Education, the project aims to fill the void of a “home” to synergize otherwise disparate ideas and efforts to solve various healthcare issues.

GRACE Hub is an Innovation Hub aiming to “lead the advancement of health research and product innovation by promoting and facilitating ideas and concepts to improve the quality of health care for all Filipinos.” As such, it positions itself as the pre-incubation hub of health research products, specifically those currently being supported by the Philippine government through PCHRD. The hub will provide experiential learning for health innovators, who will be trained on having an entrepreneurial mindset, generating creative ideas, and identifying a problem before these are brought to the TomasInno Center for actual incubation of the planned technology.

Operating under the Office of the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, the GRACE Hub will initially help innovators from the UST health sciences programs and the UST Hospital and conduct training sessions to support innovation. Once capacitated, the trained future innovators will be transferred to the TomasInno Center where the ideas can be incubated for commercialization and rollout to the public.

Future innovators may get in touch with the GRACE Hub through their Facebook Page: .

The post Health innovation projects find home in newly opened GRACE Hub appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

The AGROTIS Navigation System, funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), can operate autonomously through GPS-guided navigation or be manually controlled via radio frequency. Developed in collaboration with the Philippine Rice Research Institute and the International Rice Research Institute, it is equipped with a robust safety system and offers versatile solutions for various tractor types. The technology is incubated at the UST TOMASInno Center, the University’s Technology-based Business Incubator (TBI) and aims to directly benefit local farmers by enhancing rice field land preparation.

During an interview held at the UST-Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center in UST’s research complex in Santa Rosa City, Bautista discussed the inspiration behind AGROTIS and its positive impact on farming operations. The Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC) tested the system, which demonstrated significant improvements, reducing the field capacity of hand tractors from 31.25 hours per hectare to 20 hours per hectare, and increasing field efficiency from 60% to 80%. Additionally, a customer validation survey showed a 90% acceptability rate among local farmers.

Game-changing innovations like the AGROTIS Navigation System are among the thrusts of the recently opened UST-Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center— to develop technologies that address local challenges and enhance the nation’s technological landscape, ultimately bringing significant benefits to the Filipino people.

The post Agricultural tractor automation through GPS developed by Engineering researchers, alumni appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

The plan aimed to assess the potential of Barangay San Miguel in Echague, Isabela, for sustainable community-based tourism in the new and next normal. It also determined the current situation of the barangay, specifically its community-based tourism industry development, analyzed different related issues, constraints, and opportunities of the barangay for community-based tourism industry development, assessed the perspectives and views of different stakeholders on the sustainability and development of the barangay’s tourism resources, assessed tourism development impacts, specifically on the barangay’s economic, socio-cultural, and environmental aspects, and developed a sustainable community-based tourism strategic development framework and sustainability indicators for Barangay San Miguel, Echague, Isabela.

The Office of Hon. Faustino “Inno” A. Dy V of the 6^th District of Isabela initiated the project and was supported by the Municipal Government of Echague, Isabela. The turnover activity was conducted at the Blessed Jane of Aza Lounge, Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building.

Mr. Louie Simbe, the Municipal Tourism, Culture, and Arts Officer of the Municipality, and Ms. Claire Santiago, the Political Affairs Assistant under the Office of Cong. Inno officially received the plan. Officials from the DOST NRCP also attended the event. It was headed by Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo (President) and Dr. Bernardo N. Sepeda (Executive Director). While RCSSEd was represented by its Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jeremaiah M. Opiniano.

#TeamKomunidad of the UST CTHM and Sentro Turismo spearheaded the project under the leadership of Asst. Prof. Jame Monren T. Mercado, MACHS, with the team members, Asst. Prof. Dr. Avi Ben P. Andalecio, Dr. Fhamela F. Sarmiento, Asst. Prof. Maria Concepcion A. Ang, Assistant Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Evangeline E. Timbang, and Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atty. Gezzez Giezi G. Granado.

The plan was an output of the project entitled “Sustainable Community-based Tourism Potential and Development of Barangay San Miguel, Echague, Isabela in the New/Next Normal.” The project was also part of the 1^st batch of the Policy-funded Research Projects under the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The post RCSSEd, Sentro Turismo turn over 10-yr sustainable tourism, strategic dev’t plan to Echague, Isabela LGU appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

UST ITSO Manager Michael Jorge N. Peralta, MSc, LLM disclosed that the grant, officially known as the IP Management for Academic Institutions Commercializing Technologies (IMPACT), covers the one-year period of September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022. Peralta expressed home that “the University will be able to transfer research outputs to industry partners for public good through IP licensing. With this, not only do we achieve our goals as a…research University, but also push the nation’s economic and innovative indices by creating innovative outputs that solve society’s problems and create more jobs for the common Filipino.”

UST pre-qualified for the grant after successful completion of the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office (KTTO) program sponsored by USAID-STRIDE. Peralta, who was one of the facilitators of the said training, said that UST pre-qualified for the grant in January and received approval on May 31, 2021.

The grant will help realize twelve (12) outputs: 1. an updated and revised IP and Technology Transfer Policy together with its implementing rules and regulations and its Operations Manual for the ITSO; 2. a simple assessment and/or audit of the 976 research projects in the last 5 years; 3. Have two (2) licensed technologies in the year; 4. filing of at five (5) patents in the year; 5. Receive at least ten (10) IP Disclosures; 6. at least 1 Collaborative technology development project between University and Industry partners; 7. Capacity Building Activities: Tech Transfer 101, Patent Search, Patent Draft, Tech Triage, Business Model Canvassing; Design Thinking, and Developing the Pitch; 8. Business modeling workshops for identified University technologies; 9. Technology pitch competitions for inventors through Industry Networking Events; 10. a database and inventory of all research projects in the University; 11. An improved ITSO page at the University Website; and 12. a sustainability strategy and development plan.

The funding is seen to further boost ITSO’s operations and ties well with UST’s efforts to intensify innovation, specifically in the areas of healthcare, science and technology, computing sciences, and engineering. 

The post ITSO secures funding from DOST-PCIEERD for intellectual property protection, licensing appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

The qualitative analysis recognized the importance of job rotation, or the systematic movement of employees, as a mechanism employed “by institutions to achieve different benefits.” The study “determined the appropriate design of a DOH job rotation program in the national and regional offices” after conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions with human resource managers, immediate supervisors, peers of rotated employees, and rotated employees from 17 government and private healthcare and non-healthcare organizations in Metro Manila.

After utilizing Ryan and Bernard’s cutting and sorting technique, the study generated the “Job Rotation Wheel,” a “conceptual model encapsulating the different elements in designing and implementing a job rotation program. This symbolic representation emphasizes the importance of job rotation culture, requisite provision, rotator role transition, and result evaluation in implementing job rotation.”

The study was funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. Parial is currently pursuing his Doctor of ������Ƶapp in Hongkong Polytechnic University on a scholarship grant

The post Parial of Nursing recognized for oral presentation of study on job rotation program in Philippine health department appeared first on ������Ƶapp.