“We are all together. We are part of the national agriculture and natural resources system. It is all of us that make the R&D system the best, particularly in this part of the world”. 
Thus said PCARRD Executive Director Patricio S. Faylon as he opened the first leg in the second stage of the selection for the Ugnay Award. In this stage, the Council’s top five R&D (research and development) consortia present their accomplishments for 2008 and to the External Evaluation Committee (EEC) held recently at the PCARRD Headquarters.
For the past 15 years, the Ugnay Award has been given to an outstanding regional consortium in recognition of its efforts and accomplishments as PCARRD’s partner in planning, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating R&D and technology management initiatives. The award also grants incentives to the consortia to support and advance their efforts leading towards regional as well as national directions for R&D activities in the agriculture, forestry, and natural resources sectors.
This year’s finalists include the Ilocos Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (ILARRDEC), Cagayan Valley Agriculture and Resources Research and Development (CVARRD), Central Luzon Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (CLARRDEC), Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Program (VICARP), and Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (SMARRDEC).
These five consortia topped the field of 14 based on their accomplishments in R&D management, R&D activities, technology management, capability building/governance, and policy advocacy.
Meanwhile, the EEC members consisted of Dr. Virgilio Fernandez, PCARRD Forestry Cluster chair; Dr. Ruperto Sanggalang, professor from Cavite State University; Mr. Pablito Villegas from the Organic Producers and Trade Association, Inc.; Dr. Cecilia Gascon, Southern Luzon State University president; and PCARRD Agriculture and Resources Research Division Director Rodolfo Ilao and Technology Outreach and Promotion Division Senior Staff Audrey Lapitan. The group is responsible for trimming down the top five consortia to three.
After determining the top three, the EEC will visit them to validate their reported accomplishments and to assess the consortia based on the following criteria: level and degree of S&T (science and technology) coordination, innovativeness, leadership capabilities, and impact or outcome of activities. The EEC then will rank the top three finalists, and endorse the winners to the PCARRD Governing Council for approval.
The award, which has been conferred biennially since 2006 in time with the PCARRD anniversary celebration, grants the top winner P1.2 M and a trophy. A cash incentive of P500,000 and P200,000 will be given to the 1st and 2nd runners-up, respectively. Additionally, the regional consortium that has won the Ugnay Award five times (not necessarily consecutive) will receive the Hall of Fame Award and cash grant of P2 M.