Increasing the use of scientific and technological breakthroughs to advance science, technology, and innovation (STI) in the country would institutionalise gains in production, health, education, energy, and infrastructure systems, among other things.
The Philippine Foresight on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) was recently handed over by the National Academy of Science and Technology to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The “Pagtanaw 2050” foresight was a project of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and was supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for about PHP7.4 million.
“This will serve as a guiding principle that will enable the science community to assist in shaping the Philippines as a progressive archipelagic nation,” said DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña during the virtual turnover. “Pagtanaw 2050” is the first inter-and trans-disciplinary STI foresight and strategic plan to harness S&T as tools for innovations in products, processes, and organisations to achieve a chosen and united future.
Most of the activities essential to the development of the foresee were undertaken virtually due to Covid-19 pandemic constraints. The SWOT analysis, survey, scenario planning workshop, and development of the STI roadmaps drew 335 participants from a variety of public and commercial stakeholder entities.
“This is also a compendium of STI outputs, global and emerging technologies. This will serve as a blueprint for all agencies to carry out their mandates,” de la Peña added. NEDA Secretary Karl Chua acknowledged the need to continuously evolve to make the country more resilient. The foresight, he said, is an outlook of possible development scenarios.
He went on to say that the insight will also assist the country to boost its Global Innovation Index rating. Apart from identifying global and national megatrends and societal goals, the “Pagtanaw 2050” also emphasises roughly 200 technologies that will enable societal aspirations to be realised through 12 operational domains.
Blue economy, governance, business and commerce, digital technology, science education and talent retention, food security and nutrition, health system, energy, water, environment and climate change, shelter, transportation, and infrastructure, and space exploration are among these areas.
Science, technology, and innovation (STI) are now widely acknowledged as major elements in a country’s progress. No country has succeeded without having STI as a key component of its development strategy. All of the world’s progressive countries have made STI a central part of their strategy.
OpenGov Asia reported the Philippines and the United Kingdom have discussed methods to strengthen their scientific and technology (S&T) collaboration in sectors such as health, artificial intelligence, space technologies, and engineering biology.
Following his recent meeting with the British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Pena announced this in a social media post.
Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) expressed the Philippine government’s gratitude for the UK’s strong support for bilateral initiatives and the country’s S&T programmes, which include the Newton-Agham Programme, NovaSAR with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), JST-UKRI-DOST ‘Science, Technology and Action’ Nexus for Development (STAND), and COP26, among others.
“We also discussed the strengthening of S&T collaborations particularly on health, climate change, artificial intelligence, engineering biology, 5G, digital trade, start-ups/spin-offs, space technologies, and higher education,” he said.
Moreover, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is focusing its efforts on the bilateral Partnership for Growth, efforts to nurture peace and stability in conflict areas in Mindanao, and measures to build environmental resilience to support the Government of the Philippines’ (GPH) goal of achieving sustained and inclusive growth. To help the country leapfrog its constraints to growth, USAID has strategically included science, technology, and innovation (STI) in its programming.