NEDA INNOVATION STAFF AND NEDA-CAR MONITOR INNOVATION PROJECTS OF IFSU AND PSHS-CAR

July 7, 2024 Community Billboard

Innovation monitoring team from NEDA Innovation Staff and NEDA-CAR with innovation project proponents
from IFSU (left) and PSHS-CAR (right). The innovation project monitoring visits were conducted on July 19 21, 2024. Photo by: National Economic and Development Authority Innovation Staff.

The NEDA Innovation Staff (InS) Team, led by Dir. Diane Gail Maharjan, along with the NEDA-CAR regional innovation project evaluators, led by Dir. Susan Sumbeling, conducted a monitoring visit of two innovation projects in the Cordillera Administrative Region from June 19-21, 2024. The innovation projects visited are hosted by the Ifugao State University (IFSU) and the Philippine Science High School (PSHS-CAR). The IFSU and PSHS-CAR are recipients of the 2023 Innovation Grants approved by the National Innovation Council (NIC).

These projects underwent thorough screening and evaluation by the NIC Executive Technical Board (ETB), NIC
Secretariat, and regional innovation project evaluators. The rigorous process ensures that these projects will enhance
innovative culture, governance, and promotion, thereby strengthening institutions and enterprises in developing
contemporary solutions. The innovation project of IFSU on “Exploring Metaverse: Creating Preferred Futures for
Heritage Conservation” aims to leverage innovation by utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) and futures thinking to engage with the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) as knowledge holders and the youth in heritage conservation efforts.

The innovation fund grant will be utilized to promote future thinking and strategic foresight among IPs and youth in heritage communities in Ifugao and develop AR to reveal the preferred futures envisioned by the youth in these heritage communities. The PSHS-CAR aims to strengthen the innovative culture among children by conducting the “Innovation Camp for Grade 5 Students of the Cordillera Administrative Region”. This innovation camp will foster an innovative and engineering mindset through immersion in the Design Thinking Process, benefiting both students and teachers by enhancing their knowledge and skills in innovation and creative thinking.

Moreover, during the monitoring visits, Director Maharjan provided an overview of NEDA, its role in implementing the Philippine Innovation Act, and the basis and purpose of the project monitoring visits. Mr. Jude Baggo, Director of the IFSU Center for the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, and Engr. Roxanne Joy Doyayag, Special Science Teacher III of PSHS-CAR, shared updates on the implementation of their respective innovation projects. The Innovation Staff and NEDA CAR Team engaged in a discussion with the project proponents from IFSU and PSHS-CAR to address their concerns regarding the implementation of the innovation projects.

The team also provided recommendations to ensure project compliance and completion, suggested potential partnerships, and offered guidance on enhancing the sustainability of the innovation projects. The NIC is chaired by the President and vice-chaired by the NEDA Secretary, with members from various agencies and the private sector. The Regional Research, Development and Innovation Committee (RRDIC-CAR), a support committee of the
Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR), serves as the regional arm of the NIC.