Savants push policies on tech transfer

By Roderick Osis

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=regions4_dec4_2006

BAGUIO CITY —While the country’s scientists and technicians produce various research works geared at development, the Department of Science and Technology still sees a notable deficiency in transforming these works into useful ventures.

Dr. Albert Aquino, director of the Socio-economics Research Division of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development, said the absence of defined policies on technology transfer makes it difficult for the country to improve its competitiveness and advance its development.

He said the problem stems from the absence of a law that governs the marketing of research works or inventions.

The PCARRD, a sectoral council under the department which formulates policies, plans and programs for science and technology development, has been pressing the passage of a national policy framework on the transfer of technologies generated from public-funded research works.

The PCARRD, Aquino said, aims to address who will own the technologies funded by the government, once these are out for commercialization.

The officials also said only a minimal number of research works and inventions are being commercialized and that, they said, is due to the absence of policies on technology transfer for commercialization.

They expect that the passage of a national policy framework would increase the limited number of generated and patented technologies and their adaptability to local industries.

“Weak collaboration between the private and public sector in terms of research and development, lack of harmonized, coordinated and integrated technology transfer system, conflicting issues on technology ownership and information sharing, lack of support to science and technology and lack of resources for technology transfer are among the concerns that ought to be addressed in the policy framework,” Aquino said.

The country ranks 71st out of the 125 countries in terms of technological readiness or the ability to adapt local and foreign technologies to enhance productivity of its industries while it places 79th in the area of innovation, or the ability to produce new technologies, based on the 2006-2007 Global Competitiveness Report.