The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently renewed its appeal to the country’s researchers, scientists, and innovators to collaborate with the agency to bring their work beyond the laboratory and into the hands of the public through commercialization and utilization.
“To all researchers, scientists, and technology developers, I urge you to go beyond the laboratory and explore the market potential of your innovation, partner with DOST offices, incubators, and private sector, and the academe. Let your science work for the people that solve real problems, let us turn every research result into responsible reports,” said Engineer Sancho Mabborang, DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations, in a speech delivered by Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa De Guzman at the opening of the “Innovation and Technology Transfer Summit.”
He stressed that government-funded research should not end in academic publications or successful lab tests. These outputs, he said, must evolve into real-world solutions that directly benefit communities and industries.
“The commercialization and utilization of research and development outputs particularly government-funded technologies should not end with the publication of the report or a successful laboratory test and it should never be confined in the four corners of the laboratory; that is why we place high importance in the translation of research into tangible product technologies or services that can benefit our industries and communities in the simple day to day life.”
Mabborang further explained that transforming research into usable technologies is not merely a scientific or entrepreneurial pursuit—it is a public duty, underscoring the need to translate public spending into meaningful societal impact.
The DOST offers various support mechanisms for innovators and developers through funding, registration assistance, and technology transfer programs. These efforts aim to ensure that scientific breakthroughs are translated into usable products and services for small enterprises and industries.
One such example is the project recently funded by DOST-Cordillera, which supported the knowledge-sharing and production of high-quality cacao beans for a small industry in Itogon, Benguet. The initiative helped Dulche Chocolates improve bean quality, enabling the company to cater to international market demands.
“Technology commercialization is not just a developmental goal, it is also a measure of national innovation performance. It is one of the key indicators used in the global innovation index, which influences how the Philippines ranks globally in terms of innovation,” Mabborang said.
He emphasized that research outputs must reach the people to truly realize their value.
“We aim to ensure that every peso spent on research delivers value not only in knowledge generation but also in innovation adoption, economic contribution and social impact… which is reason the DOST has continuously invested in technology transfer initiatives, among them the TECHGROW project which is a focused effort to facilitate the transfer, commercialization and actual use of government-funded research and development results,” he added.
TECHGROW, short for Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship Collaboration and Harmonization of Growing Regional Opportunities on Wealth Creation, is one of DOST’s flagship initiatives for enabling innovation diffusion.
Mabborang concluded by highlighting that DOST’s range of programs and initiatives is available to help innovators turn their ideas into viable, market-ready solutions that benefit the broader public.