The Technology Commercialization Team of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) has been named by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as one of its Pagasa awardees (Group Category) for 2021.
The CSC Pagasa is one of the three award categories under the 2021 Search for Outstanding Government Workers. It is given to an individual or group for outstanding contributions that directly benefit more than one department of the government.
Awardees receive a gold-gilded medallion expertly crafted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), a plaque containing the citation and signature of the Chairperson of the CSC, and a cash prize of PHP 200,000 for individual category, and PHP 100,000 for each member for the group category.
Led by the director of the Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD), Dir. Noel A. Catibog, the Technology Commercialization Team is composed of: Ms. Lucy A. Lastimosa, Senior Science Research Specialist/Unit Head; Ms. Abigail F. Gueco, Senior Science Research Specialist; Ms. Mae A. Dagaas, Science Research Specialist II; and the Executive Director of PCAARRD, Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora.
The DOST-PCAARRD Technology Commercialization Team (TechComm Team) has significantly improved the innovation ecosystem of the country’s agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector in the last three years. The TechComm Team led the conceptualization, packaging, coordination, and implementation of 118 projects on intellectual property (IP) management (Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management or the “IP-TBM” program), technology promotion (Science for the Convergence of Agriculture and Tourism or the “SciCAT” program), and technology commercialization (Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubation or the “ATBI” program). These projects have a total budget of PHP 312 million to support the technology transfer activities of 60 agencies that include state universities and colleges (SUCs), research and development institutes (RDIs) among others who in turn provided about PHP 93.9 million as counterpart funds. The outputs of these projects benefitted not only the researchers of various SUCs and RDIs but also the entrepreneurs, farmers, and fisherfolks in the country.
With numerous partners and collaboration at their helm, the TechComm team initiated, monitored, and developed these programs alongside their other functions such as the management of the DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center (DPITC), the Council’s technology promotion and commercialization platform and participation to the technical working groups that amended the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of certain laws.
Early this year, Ms. Lastimosa was also awarded as one of the CSC Pagasa Award Nominees in the 2020 Search for Outstanding Government Workers of the said Commission.
The Virtual Awards Rites for the 2020 and 2021 Outstanding Government Workers was streamed via the CSC Facebook page on November 15, 2021.