Ten sectors identified in the R&D priority list
October 18, 2009
The Philippines is reviewing its research and development (R&D) priority list and ten sectors have been initially identified for the National R&D Priorities Plan (NRDPP) 2010-2016.
During the presentation of the first draft of the Plan during the 1st Conference on NRDPP Thursday, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Fortunato de la Peņa said the technical working groups (TWG) are looking at existing R&D priorities in assigned areas.
He said the initially ten identified areas/sectors include agriculture and food, energy, environment and natural resources, health, manufacturing and production, electronics, disaster mitigation and management, information communications technology (ICT), biotechnology and nanotechnology.
De la Peņa said the proposed R&D prioritization criteria are the project's technological capacity and their social return on investment, particularly those addressing market failure and producing public good.
"While the private markets tend to under invest in R&D that has high public payoff, government has the tendency to over invest in R&D with low public payoff. These are extremes we are trying to balance," he noted.
"The basic issue is whether government investment in R&D provides a net public benefit," he added.
De la Peņa stressed public policy interventions to address R&D under investment include the creation of R&D institutions that directly perform R&D, provision of government R&D grants and assuring markets for derived products and services to encourage R&D.
Enabling RDIs and researchers to own intellectual property rights and earn returns from results of publicly-funded R&D investments and provision of tax incentives for private firms to undertake R&D can entice more R&D investments, he added.
He said the country's R&D priorities would be validated during the 2nd Conference on NRDPP on November 19 which involves more private sector participants.
De la Peņa said they hope to submit the final NRDPP to President Arroyo by December 29 this year.
Engr. Nelson Beniabon, a member of Inter-Agency Committee overseeing the TWGs, said an Executive Order calling on all concerned agencies to comply with finalized R&D priorities is expected to be signed by January 2010.
Beniabon said government agencies with R&D budget have to spend the amount for the sectors identified and included in the six-year NRDPP.
De la Peņa said the NRDPP would synchronize all R&D efforts by various government agencies and serve as a decision-making guide for the allocation and utilization of public R&D funds.
President Arroyo issued EO 604 in February 2007 creating the Presidential Coordinating Council on Research and Development (PCCRD).
PCCRD is composed of 13 government representatives and representatives from private sector and organizations of scientists and engineers engaged in R&D.
It is also tasked to review and recommend policies to encourage private R&D and boost international funding for such and increase R&D funding to 0.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of economic performance. -- Danielle Venz, PHILEXPORT News and Features
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