SHOWCASING LOCAL INNOVATIONS TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE — (Standing from left to right) Mr. Mari Martirez, CEO and Founder of RezBin, and Ms. Rowena Sucalit, inventor of MagicBag, at PHILIPPiNEXT: ICE on I held on July 15, 2025, at Okada Manila, Philippines.
Manila, Philippines — Through the brand campaign of PHILIPPiNEXT, the 1st International Conference and Exposition on Innovations” or ICE on I convention, Filipino innovators and inventors strengthened their collaborations with other countries to develop technologies that can help address the climate crisis.
With delegates from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the Philippines attending the 3-day event in Okada Manila, “PHILIPPiNEXT” brought together inventors, innovators, policymakers, and investors to share insights, explore opportunities, and build partnerships.
Department of Science and Technology Sec. Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. stressed how international conventions help in building networks and possibly bridge the gaps in innovation.
“International participation is part of the innovation ecosystem that we have established from the Department of Science and Technology. We need to have an exchange of ideas to further improve your innovation,” the science and technology chief said in an interview.
OFFERING SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL PROBLEMS — (Standing from right to left) Mr. Alvin Phoebe Valdez, inventor of the IoT AI-based Greenhouse Automation System and CEO & Founder of Farmesto Technologies, at the PHILIPPiNEXT Innovation Expo held on July 14–16, 2025, at Okada Manila, Philippines.
“And also expose your innovation to other countries because they will be interacting in their own country, and if they happen to be asked a question on a possible innovation that is not available in your country and they can remember that they have encountered an innovation in the Philippines, then, they might be able to share what we have. Essentially, partnership is critical,” he added.
PRESENTING HUMAN-CENTERED TECHNOLOGY — Mr. Jastin Zhang, developer of EVO Flood Finder and Co-founder of Tack One, presents the EVO Flood Finder during PHILIPPiNEXT’s Power Pitching held on July 15, 2025, at Okada Manila, Philippines.
Prieskarinda Lestari, assistant professor at the Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, witnessed how the innovations from the convention are varied and how they can possibly be transferable to other countries.
“Some already did such a further development, and also, I see at the power pitching, like the presenter of the power pitching, giving very insightful innovations, which is very good, and I believe this can be transferred throughout not only delegates, but also to the broader usefulness,” she said.
However, Lestari saw how some innovations are segmented and suggested having an interdisciplinary approach to developing technologies.
“It should be done with interdisciplinary background, such as not only just a technology, not only just agriculture not only the science, but also supported to socio-engineering, and also social and environmental benefits, which is this is the reason and the way we can guarantee the innovation, the technology, and the IP can provide us the sustainability assurance. I think that's from the beginning and then the collaboration, and then sustainability,” she said.
She also noted the financial challenges of some countries and hoped to have a funding scheme that could help innovators in need.
YOUNG INNOVATOR SHINES ON THE GLOBAL STAGE — Mr. Rizky Ramadhan Sayyid Zenyda, one of the inventors of the Measurement Analysis NIR Spectroscopy Non-Invasive for Blood Glucose (Manies) from Padjadjaran University, Indonesia, presents Manies during PHILIPPiNEXT’s Power Pitching held on July 15, 2025, at Okada Manila, Philippines.
“I think one of the things that may be important is how we are bridging that innovation to go fly high. I mean that we have to facilitate, maybe, for example, a funding scheme through international collaboration, like maybe the innovation should be done from maybe two or three countries with different backgrounds,” she said.
Lestari is glad that the countries present were able to achieve certain goals through the convention.
“It will be good to conduct collaborations research at the first time and then after that doing the research, and then prototyping something, which involves interdisciplinary background. I think that's one of the ways, but it's easy to say, but not too easy to be done, but I think this is a good step that we conducted at PHILIPPiNEXT,” she said.
Prof. P. Abdul Salam of the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand stressed how international conventions can be a mechanism for technology transfer.
“I think you know that the technology transfer is very important even though there are already many technologies already available, but these are not available in many of the developing countries,” Salam said.
IN PHOTO: PHILIPPiNEXT 2025 International delegates from India and Malaysia.
“So these kinds of events are very important and of course, to promote the available technologies that will be transferred to the other countries can be similar technology from other countries to the local situation to see the local needs,” he added.
With the challenges faced by innovators, Salam also highlighted the importance of involving stakeholders and authorities to address the concerns about the climate crisis.
“Innovative technologies are the only way to achieve mitigation and adaptation. So we had to have more and more collaborative actions… I think policy makers are very important to be involved so that we could, you know, go to the next level,” he said.
Solidum is hopeful that by consistently holding “PHILIPPiNEXT” they would uplift the livelihood of the people and achieve peace.
“The development would actually be a catalyst for peace and I’ve seen this in many parts of the country where we invested in geographically isolated places and helped people earn income and that would give them hope because most people they have a problem with their authorities if they don’t see hope in the process that they are participating in country or in the locality that they are in,” the Secretary said.
“Among the problems in the world, one is conflict, wars, and local conflict, and we believe that through science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, that will support economic development, there can be more peace in the world.”
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