Policies on research, innovation crafted
The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance providing for city policies and strategies on research and innovation in the city.
The ordinance was authored by Councilor Levy Lloyd B. Orcales stated that among the objectives of the proposed measure is to ensure effective coordination and eliminate fragmentation of innovation policies and programs at all levels; promote public participation in the innovation process; strengthen public information on intellectual property rights; promote productive form of interaction between the scientific community and the public and discover other opportunities for interaction; support the creation and diffusion of new knowledge, products and processes; explore, promote and protect the potentials for innovation of research initiatives of higher education institutions and non-government organizations and strengthen and deepen interactions and partnerships among different actors from the public and private sectors, academe, research and development institutions and communities towards promoting inclusive growth and improving the quality of life through innovation.
The ordinance mandated the creation of public private partnership in innovation alliance in the city to be known as Incubator Baguio and develop a local branding for innovation and shall be utilized as a major platform to innovation continuum between the local government and research and innovation partners.
The Incubator Baguio shall be composed, but shall not be limited, to the City Mayor who will be serving as convenor, CIVIKA Future Laboratory Baguio city, heads of higher education institutions or their duly designated representatives who will act as co-covenors; City Planning and Development Coordinator – action officer and Chairperson of the City Council Committee on Ethics, governmental Affairs and Personnel, Commission on Higher Education (CHED; Department of Science and Technology; National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); Technical Education and Skills Development Authority; Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and representatives from other allied industries and micro, small and enterprise businesses as members.
Further, those who will be designated by higher education institutions shall have at least 5 years of experience in the field of science and technology, research and development or innovation. Heads or administrators of higher education institutions shall submit an endorsement to the City mayor designating their authorized representatives to partake in the programs and activities of the said alliance.
The alliance shall develop the city’s strategic vision for innovation and long-term innovation goals and priorities; serve as a source of strategic intelligence for local research and innovation policy-making; align research initiatives and proposals of higher education institutions to local government policy and program priorities; engage technological expertise in strategic and innovation policy-making; coordinate with various sectors and agencies to promote policy and program coherence, particularly on research and innovation; develop metrics and monitor the progress of strategic innovation programs for research and development projects sanctioned by the local government; endorse to the city council policy recommendations for possible adoption as city resolution or ordinance; to treat the city as a living laboratory and submit annual reports to the city council on the progress of implementation of the measure.
The identified priority areas for research and innovation will be food security and sustainable urban agriculture; education and the academe; health; social development; environmental protection; entrepreneurship; youth, family and social work; potentials for innovation of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions; development of human capital and transportation services among others.
The ordinance encourages innovation activities in the city to focus on activities of research and development, engineering, design and other creative activities, marketing and branding, activities related to creation and protection of intellectual property, education, software development and database and other activities performed in the process of creating innovations.
The ordinance mandated the allocation of an innovation fund in the amount of not less than P100,000 under the City Planning and Development Office to implement the salient provisions of the measure. The fund shall be used to support the city’s innovation camp, research forum, support for research and innovation and promotion of innovation centers and research incubators.
The local government, in coordination with CHED, and the NEDA, shall identify and recognize higher education institutions, non-government organizations and business from allied industries, respectively, with a certificate of excellence in the field of research and innovation to motive the concerned sectors to be aligned to research and innovation initiatives to help address the problems of the city. – Dexter A. see
