True to its mission to support the local startup ecosystem, UPGRADE TBI – UP Mindanao Project Leader, Asst. Prof. Miguel Carlos S. Guillermo presented the establishment of Innovation and Development Accelerators Consortium for Startups in Davao Region, craftily coined as “IDEAS-Davao” last November 24, 2021, to the Regional Research, Development and Innovation Committee of Region XI (RRDIC XI) on their 4th Quarter Meeting. Present was RRDIC XI Chair Dr. Anthony Sales and Vice-Chair Atty. Sam Matunog.
Republic Act No. 11293 or the Philippine Innovation Act (PIA), which was signed into law on April 17, 2019 stipulates that Regional Development Councils shall serve as the regional counterparts of the National Innovation Council and the RRDIC XI serves as RDC XI’s innovation arm, aiming to mirror RA 11293 at a regional level.
IDEAS Davao is a project created under the Higher Education Institution Readiness for Incubation and Technopreneurship (HeIRIT) Regional Startup Enablers for Ecosystem Development (ReSEED) Program of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD). The program intends to provide funding support to PCIEERD-funded Technology Business Incubators to lead in establishing and formalizing a Regional Startup Ecosystem Consortium.
In Region XI, the University of the Philippines Growing and Developing Enterprise Technology Business Incubator (UPGRADE TBI – UP Mindanao) leads the creation of the consortium, in partnership with UMasenso HUB of the University of Mindanao and University of SouthEastern Philippines’ AGILab TBI and other startup ecosystem leaders, arm in arm with the goal to help local startups achieve breakthroughs in solving societal issues through business ideas, ultimately bridging the regional development gaps.
Despite the pandemic, the startup community in the region continues to grow and has come a long way indeed, but there’s a lot of work to do, and together, we move onward and forward!
#PADAYUNDAVAO
