GOVPH

To address common challenges assessed in every community, innovators at the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) developed ‘smart’ solution prototypes through the Wadhwani technology pitching competition held on October 21, 2025.

DOST-Caraga region said the competition is the second installment of the first Cohort which began in January 2025 through the DOST-Wadhwani Technopreneurship Program—a partnership between the DOST and Wadhwani Operating Foundation launched in November 2024.

Under this partnership, nearly 400 DOST employees underwent an intensive three-month training focused on upskilling and reskilling participants in entrepreneurship.

“By translating ideas into 17 functional prototypes, we see how local challenges identified in our regional smart cities and community’s road mapping efforts can be transformed into scalable, inclusive, and sustainable solutions. These innovations reflect a simple truth: when our LGUs, industries, academe, and communities collaborate, we create not just projects but pathways that we can tread together in our journey toward national development,” DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said.

“Kapag ang inobasyon ay pinagtulungang payabungin ng bawat isa, ang mga solusyon na drawing lamang sa umpisa ay unti-unting makukulayan at maisasakatuparan,” he added.

To ensure that the innovations are locally relevant, DOST innovators partnered with various local government units (LGUs) to identify gaps in focus areas like urban resilience, digital governance, solid waste management, circular economy integration, sustainable transportation, climate-smart agriculture and public service innovation.

Wadhwani mentor for Mindanao Mary Rose  Ofianga said each prototype is expected to support DOST’s Smart and Sustainable Communities Program (SSCP) and prioritize Elev8 PH initiatives.

“Solutions should also integrate technologies such as AI, data analytics, blockchain, Industry 4.0, smart agriculture, and health technology, demonstrating commercialization potential and scalability,” Ofianga said.

Among the 15 presenters, the smart food innovation platform ‘TARAsense’ from DOST-CARAGA Region stood out for the judges, winning first place.

According to Dr. Mariero H. Gawat, S&T Fellow and one of the innovators of TARAsense, this platform empowers micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to develop food products through data-driven consumer insights. It integrates tools for market research, packaging feedback, and sensory evaluation —all powered by AI analytics and gamified public participation.

The participants were judged based on the innovation’s commercial viability, which is 30%; inventiveness and uniqueness, 25%; market problem fit, 15%; execution and feasibility, 15%; pitch quality and delivery, 10%; and economic impact and wealth creation, 5%.

The DOST-Wadhwani Technopreneurship Program is a strategic initiative designed to nurture innovation-driven entrepreneurship among DOST Regional and Provincial S&T Offices. It is one of the many initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph. (By Claire Bernadette A. Mondares, DOST-STII)

These are the plaques taken home by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placers of the DOST-Wadhwani Technopreneurship Pitching Activity held on October 21, 2025 at Bayview Park Hotel, Manila. The other plaque is given to Wadhwani Operating Foundation for its steadfast support to DOST by providing hands-on entrepreneurship development courses. (Photo by Patrick James Lee C. Alfonso, DOST-STII)