BACOLOD CITY, 7 November 2025 — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), convened national and regional innovation leaders for the 9th National Technology Business Incubator (TBI) Summit in Bacolod City — reaffirming government’s commitment to strengthen startup ecosystems and expand innovation-driven growth beyond Metro Manila.
TBI Summit: Innovation for All Regions
Opening the summit, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr. emphasized the department’s mission to make innovation accessible to all regions, empowering state universities and colleges (SUCs), higher education institutions (HEIs), and their Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) as catalysts of regional economic development.
The TBI Summit gathered university presidents, innovation managers, and ecosystem enablers to discuss how academic institutions can accelerate local startup growth through incubation, mentorship, and commercialization.
Undersecretary Leah Bundia, DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit, and Russell Pili, Chief of the Research Information and Technology Transfer Division (RITTD) of DOST–PCIEERD, all underscored that the TBI network, now encompassing almost 90 university-based incubators nationwide, has become a cornerstone of inclusive innovation with each TBI as a seedbed of creativity and enterprise — transforming research into jobs, products, and solutions for communities.
BUGLAS NIR Consortium: A Bold Step for Unified Growth
A highlight of the TBI Summit was the ceremonial launch of the Building Unified Growth Through Linkages, Acceleration, and Synergy for Negros Island Region (NIR) — a newly formed Regional Startup Enablers Consortium bringing together key government agencies, universities, LGUs, and private sector leaders to strengthen the Negros Island innovation ecosystem.
The consortium is composed of 16 institutions, including DOST Region XVIII, DICT Region XVIII, DTI Region XVIII, Technological University of the Philippines Visayas (TUPV-HIVE), Silliman University-SINERGY TBI, LGUs of Talisay and Bayawan, and private partners such as the Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center (NOLITC), Wadhwani Foundation, Spring Valley Tech Corp, Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF), Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for ICT (BNEFIT), and the Metro Bacolod and Negros Oriental Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI and NOCCI).
The BUGLAS NIR consortium aims to unify fragmented startup efforts under a single regional framework, promoting mentorship, funding access, and coordinated innovation programs aligned with the Innovative Startup Act (RA 11337) and the Philippine Innovation Act (RA 11293).
Its vision: By 2030, the Negros Island Region will be recognized as a thriving and inclusive startup hub driven by sustainable innovation, empowered local talent, and strong collaboration among government, academe, and industry.
IMPACT Program: From Research to Market
Complementing the TBI network, PCIEERD also presented updates on its Intellectual Property Management Program for Academic Institutions Commercializing Technologies (IMPACT) on November 6, 2025 — a flagship initiative supporting technology transfer and commercialization in universities and research organizations nationwide.
Launched in 2018, IMPACT strengthens the capacity of HEIs to manage intellectual property, develop technology business offices, and translate research into market-ready innovations. The program has since empowered numerous universities to establish IP and Technology Business Management Offices (IP-TBMOs) and expand collaboration with industry partners.
IMPACT continues to advance PCIEERD’s goal of bridging research and enterprise, ensuring that innovations developed in laboratories deliver tangible socio-economic benefits to Filipino communities.
SALIKSync: The 1st National IMPACT Conference
Aligned with the IMPACT program, PCIEERD also hosted SALIKSync: The 1st National IMPACT Conference, carrying the theme “From IMPACT to NXT Horizons: Surging the Next Wave of Knowledge and Technology Transfer.”
The conference, the first national intellectual property management gathering since IMPACT’s inception, assembled innovation officers, IP managers, and researchers to share strategies for scaling up technology transfer and collaboration.
The event highlighted the Philippines’ ambition to position its research and innovation ecosystem more prominently in the global stage, translating intellectual property into innovation with measurable impact.
A Partners’ Night concluded the day’s activities, celebrating collaboration among the academic, government, and private sectors in advancing technology commercialization and startup incubation.
A Convergence for National Innovation
The 9th National TBI Summit, the establishment of BUGLAS NIR, and the parallel IMPACT and SALIKSync conferences collectively marked a milestone in the country’s innovation journey — signaling a more coordinated, inclusive, and regionally empowered approach to building the Philippines’ innovation economy.
Through these initiatives, DOST-PCIEERD continues to translate science into enterprise, promote technology-driven jobs, and enable regions to thrive as innovation engines for national development.
This story is written by Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue. Photos are credited from DOST-PCIEERD.
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