Four student teams and four academic teams, composed of faculty and researchers, won in this year’s inaugural competitions for Gawad Pangulo para sa Natatanging Inobasyon.
The winning teams, which presented projects that seek to address gaps in agriculture, health, environmental sustainability, government operations, and customer engagement, were recognized at the Gawad Pangulo on Friday, June 20, at Atencio-Libunao Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD).
The following are the winners under the student teams category:
- Watch! Tap! Shop!, a product placement model developed by a team from UP Open University (UPOU) and UP Diliman (UPD)
- Ilaya’t Ilawod, which was developed by a team from UP Visayas (UPV) and UPOU to address challenges on broodstock management efficiency in tilapia fisheries
- BuddyBetes, a diabetes self-management mobile application developed by a team from UPD
- Project GUIA, a centralized intelligence hub for environmental planning developed by a team from UP Cebu and UP Los Baños
The following are the winners under the academic teams category:
- Mango Pest Buster, a mobile application developed by a team from UP Los Baños (UPLB) led by Dr. Celia Medina to control insecticide-resistant pests
- Mykoplus, a biofertilizer developed by a team from UPLB led by Dr. Jocelyn Zarate
- Oil-Based Thermal Disinfection technology developed by a team from UPV led by Dr. Ramer Bautista for waste management in hospitals
- Lungsod Solutions, a mobile application for local government units and industries developed by a team from UPD led by Dr. Czar Jakiri Sarmiento to optimize decision-making for operations and services
The Gawad Pangulo para sa Natatanging Inobasyon is UP’s program to support students and academic staff in transforming their ideas into new products or services, either as startups or in collaboration with industry partners.
Twelve student teams and eight academic teams were selected as finalists by the UP System Technology Transfer and Business Development Office. Each team received an initial grant of PhP120,000 to develop their innovations, which they pitched to a panel of industry and civil society partners during a showcase on Tuesday, July 17, at the Asian Institute of Tourism in UPD.
Speaking during the event, UP President Angelo Jimenez called on innovators to ensure that their projects make an impact on the Filipino people “as a matter of overarching moral responsibility.”
“The Filipino people hope that what you do in your labs will matter to them and uplift their lives,” Jimenez urged.
Photo by Kevin Roque, UP MPRO.
In addition to exclusive mentorship and incubation through leading technology business incubators, and support from technology transfer offices and business development experts, the four winning student teams will each receive up to PhP900,000 in additional funding. Each of the four winning academic teams will receive a higher grant of PhP1,000,000.
The showcase event for the finalists of the Gawad Pangulo para sa Natatanging Inobasyon was part of the Linggo ng Unibersidad activities to celebrate UP’s 117th founding anniversary. This year’s celebration was themed “Ani at Alay: Paglilingkod at Pasidungog sa Bayan,” which embodies harvesting the fruits of talent and labor and offering them in service to the Filipino people.
