CHALLENGING TIMES SUMMON R&D OPPORTUNITIES

Ronaldo Q. Dominguez
Supervising SRS, ITDD-PCIERD


Tight budgetary constraints brought about by our economic situation are limiting for most public institutions and specially by industries. Often we succumb to cut back on activities less essential, restructure the management and reformulate logistics.  Most institutions outright actions are directed at calls for government to help or to intervene. Remedial measures often sought from the  government  include a call to institute a protectionist stance or outcry rather than a technological response to competition. The latter option may only be too vague and obscure an option most specially for SMEs. 

Technological capabilities of government are mostly undiscovered by industries. Business operations is deemed less of a technology dependent than managerial savvy or promotional gimmick or mimicry as in the run away bandwagon hot pandesal of old. Multinational companies on the other hand recognized technology to exploit the business and edge out competitors. 

Local industries, most specially, those in the regions are often unaware what institutional expertise resides in their regions or even in their provinces. There is clearly a dearth of information on who can assist these cottage-to--medium scale regional enterprises.

An option for technology-based intervention vehicle, which was instituted nearly five years ago by the PCIERD in the regions, may be one of the emerging tools for technological and processing improvements. PCIERD initiated the integration of technological hub of expertise to address regional problems, assist in tackling regional priorities and technical problems and lend collective agency capabilities for the above situations. These hubs take the form of Regional Consortium. Presently there are nine (9) Regional Consortium.

The challenge for these consortium are basically tri- fold: 1.) translate the output of their agency's research into productive enterprises; 2.) Address regional priorities through collaborative research and development; and 3.) Institutional integration of each member's expertise and capabilities and resources to assist improve local enterprises in their respective regions.

For one, these challenging times we are in right now summon Regional Consortia towards demand driven R&D opportunities. Let industry see that R&D is valid option rather than scientific but academic exercise. 

Furthermore, an opportunity most compelling in these challenging times is the imperative need for Regional Consortia to think ways and measures of harnessing, collectively at that, their vast stored wealth of institutional expertise and technical capabilities to assist local enterprises is more productive and competitive.  

Regional Consortia is our worthy partners. Together we can make an impact in the regions.