University of the Philippines Baguio is a constituent unit of the UP System based in the Cordilleras and is a premier institution in Northern Luzon with specialization in Cordillera Studies, Indigenous Peoples/Ethnicity Studies, Sustainable Development and Language and Literature Studies, and Natural Sciences. Although the research and creative outputs of this research-intensive University are widely published in renowned academic journals and presented in various conferences and conventions, potential problem-solving innovations arising from these are watered down as they become part of the public domain.
UP Baguio, together with Pinoy IP Works, Inc., facilitated a talk titled “IP by and for IP” last April 5, 2019 at the Abraham Sarmiento Hall of UP Baguio, to address the concerns raised by the University regarding IP and technology transfer, and provide learning points on the protection of its ideas and creations and real-life applications of its research and creative outputs.
The talk was centered on topics about the fundamentals of IP and related policies such as technology transfer, as well as other practices and applications. Dr. Giovanni M. Malapit, faculty member and head of Research Committee of the Department of Physical Sciences, College of Science – UP Baguio, apprised everyone about the current status of research and development in the College of Science – UP Baguio. Mr. Karl Simon A. Revelar, IP and Technology Specialist of PIWI, briefly spoke about the fundamentals of IP protection. Atty. Bayani B. Loste, Managing Director of PIWI, discussed updates in public sector technology transfer in the Philippines. Dr. Armando S. Somintac, Director of Project Management and Resource Generation (PMRG) of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (OVCRD), UP Diliman, delved into the best practices of OVCRD grants orientation and technology transfer.
The speakers and participants also conferred regarding measures to address the pertinent needs of UP Baguio in terms of essential IP policies and practices involved in the protection and further utilization of their research and creative output to various avenues, and how to hinge these policies and practices to the advantage of the indigenous people in the Cordilleras. Further collaborative efforts of UP Baguio and PIWI will expectantly help in the creation of IP policies and practices until its enforcement and implementation by the University. One of the University’s present objectives is the development of curricula that will highlight its niche in Indigenous Studies and Sustainability Science, thus fostering and fortifying the culture of academics and research on Disaster Risk Reduction Management.
Together with the continuous efforts of the faculty of UP Baguio, the talk is a strategic initiative to enforce the creation and use of IP paralleled with the interests of the University. Hopefully, said initiative will also help establish effective and sustainable technology transfer offices in academic institutions and government agencies in the Cordilleras.