๐ถ-๐๐๐ง๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฆ | ๐ง๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ



The plenary talks at the Industry-Academe Congress on Technologies for Smart City (i-ACT4SmartCity) focused on advancing the commercialization of research to drive economic growth and social impact in the Cagayan Valley Region. These talks brought together leaders from academia, industry, and government to explore the region’s innovation agenda for Smart City Technologies.
Dr. Bartolome T. Tanguilig, Chairman of the CHED Technical Committee for Information Technology, discussed the importance of fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in IT education, highlighting how universities can prepare students and faculty to be innovators and entrepreneurs. Dr. Bart also pointed out that the future of cities is closely tied to Smart City initiatives, where technologies help solve challenges like transportation, energy use, public safety, and sustainable growth. He also emphasized the role of IT professionals in building the tools and systems needed for these innovations. โHowever, technical skills alone are not enough to achieve this. What we need are IT professionals with an entrepreneurial spiritโgraduates who are not just seeking jobs but are prepared to create solutions and opportunities themselves,โ he stated.
Ms. Russell M. Pili, Chief of DOST PCIEERD Research Information & Technology Transfer Division (RITTD) emphasized the critical role of higher education institutions in nurturing startups, focusing on how universities can support innovation ecosystems. Ms. Pili also encouraged the participants, stating, “Imagine a future where everything you do as a businessโyour ideas and your impactโis closer to home.”
Dr. Rutchanee Gullayanon, Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation at KMITL shared Thailandโs experience in establishing technology business incubators, offering valuable lessons for ASEAN collaboration on innovation development. Dr. Gullayanon concluded her lecture by comparing innovation to the ongoing transformation of technologies. โWe have to change, we have to adapt. Itโs not just you as students or us as teachers who need to change the way we learn or teach. Itโs about developing survival skills, where we must change how we perceive and adapt to technologies, and conduct business around these technological changes. Change is not easy, but open-mindedness is crucial. This is the skill set and ecosystem that universities, professors, teachersโeveryoneโmust foster, and we need to start thinking about change,โ she added.
Prof. Dr. Orlando F. Balderama, Vice President for RDET at Isabela State University (ISU) presented best practices of ISUโs Technology Business Incubators, showcasing how universities can transform research into commercially viable enterprises.
These plenary talks are designed to inspire collaboration among key players in the region, fueling innovation and helping transform groundbreaking research into real-world solutions that benefit the community.
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