ABOUT

Regional Inclusive Innovation Center (RIIC) Davao Region

More and more Filipinos are made aware of the need to innovate the country’s industries to become globally competitive. Proactively, the government instituted policies that foster innovation such as the Philippine Innovation Act and Innovative Startup Act. The Philippine Inclusive Filipinnovation and Entrepreneurship Roadmap was also crafted to serve as the country’s blueprint for innovation. These collective efforts were manifested when the Philippines leapfrogged in the Global Innovation Index from 73 rd place with a score of 31.56 in 2018 to 54 th place with a score of 36.18 in 2019.

To sustain a culture of innovation, the DTI, together with CHED, DICT, and DOST, with technical support of the U.S. Agency for International Development Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (USAID STRIDE), set up Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers (RIIC). RIIC is the cornerstone of the Philippine Inclusive Innovation and Industrial Strategy (i 3 s), which lies at the heart of economic transformation and bridges the gap between the industry and academe. It serves to create a virtual and physical regional innovation ecosystem made up of universities, research and development (R&D) labs, science and technology (S&T) parks, start-up incubators, fabrication laboratories, co-working spaces, investors, government agencies, start-up businesses, and micro,small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

RIICs are currently set up in four (4) pilot areas across the country: Bicol, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao. These RIICs extend innovation assistance to its focus sectors based on its region’s key industries. Davao RIIC focuses on Processed Fruits and Nuts and Functional Food, with plans to expand to other sectors.

Branded as Innovation through Science & Technology and Risk Resilient-based Initiatives toward Knowledge Economy or iSTRIKE Davao, the RIIC harnesses the region’s thriving innovation ecosystem composed of government agencies, academic institutions, and dynamic industry players in developing innovative products and services for its focused sectors.

One of the projects of iSTRIKE Davao is the development of a web-based Geographical Information System (GIS) that will provide the list and locations of all available government agencies, academe, and industries that offer programs and services that will address innovation gaps of businesses and enterprises for them to be more competitive in the global market.