PJM, VP Alibuyog train in Europe as PHITEST master trainers
By Jareason Fabre
MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr. and Vice President for Research, Development, and Innovation Nathaniel Alibuyog joined a select group of Filipino experts as PHITEST Master Trainers in a 12-day study mission across France, the Netherlands, and Belgium from May 11 to 21. Their travel focused on gaining insights to strengthen the Philippines’ agri-aqua technology validation and commercialization systems.
The mission, carried out under the Philippine Technology Evaluation and Standards for Testing (PHITEST), is a joint program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), aligned with the national agenda for innovation and global competitiveness.
Dr. Manzano and Dr. Alibuyog, both agricultural engineers and accomplished research leaders, represented the country’s agri-aqua technology sector as part of the PHITEST team. The initiative aims to develop globally competitive, standards-aligned, and market-ready Filipino innovations.
As members of the first PHITEST Master Trainer cohort, they underwent intensive training combining specialized modules with benchmarking visits to leading universities, research institutions, and innovation centers in Europe.
The mission opened in Paris, France, where participants were trained in safety and regulatory compliance, with a focus on international frameworks, risk classification systems, and global market entry requirements.
The delegation proceeded to Eindhoven, the Netherlands, for sessions on testing methodologies and quality assurance, as well as benchmarking activities at Eindhoven University of Technology, known for its innovation-driven ecosystem. At Wageningen University and Research, one of the world’s leading institutions in agriculture and food sciences, the delegation engaged in benchmarking on food safety testing, HACCP and ISO 22000 compliance, precision agriculture, and validation systems for agri-aqua technologies.
The program continued with workshops on certification systems, accreditation frameworks, institutional recognition networks, international harmonization, and regulatory governance. The delegation also visited the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) in Belgium, where they examined agrifood systems, aquaculture validation, seed certification programs, and living laboratory models supporting innovation and technology adoption.
Additional visits to the University of Lille in France and the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Belgium exposed the delegation to globally recognized models for technology validation, talent development, venture building, and industry–academe–government collaboration.
Aside from benchmarking international best practices, the study mission served as a working laboratory for refining the PHITEST Master Trainer Modules, which will serve as the foundation of future national capacity-building activities. Participants assessed how European systems can be adapted to Philippine conditions and integrated into a national technology validation framework.
Before the mission, the Agri-Aqua Technologies cluster engaged with representatives from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) to identify key export certification barriers, food safety requirements, and validation challenges affecting Philippine agricultural and aquaculture technologies entering European and ASEAN markets.
PHITEST addresses a critical gap in the Philippine innovation ecosystem: the absence of a scalable, internationally benchmarked system for testing, validating, and certifying locally developed technologies. Through a nationwide network of validation centers and trained experts, the program aims to increase investor confidence, accelerate technology commercialization, and strengthen the global competitiveness of Filipino innovations.
Under the program, 60 Master Trainers will eventually train hundreds of PHITEST assessors and validators nationwide, building a national workforce capable of evaluating technologies against international standards. These efforts are expected to support the validation of hundreds of technologies in strategic sectors and unlock significant innovation value for the country.
President Manzano explained during an interview that strengthening technology validation systems is essential to ensuring Filipino innovations generate tangible economic and social impact.
“Many promising technologies developed by our researchers never reach their full potential because they lack internationally recognized validation. PHITEST helps bridge that gap by providing the standards, systems, and expertise needed to bring innovations from laboratories to industries and communities,” he said.
For his part, Dr. Alibuyog noted that the immersion provided valuable insights into how leading institutions transform research outputs into globally competitive technologies.
“The study mission allowed us to examine successful models for technology testing, certification, and commercialization. These lessons will be important as we help build a Philippine system that is globally aligned yet responsive to local needs and realities,” he said.
As designated PHITEST Master Trainers for the Agri-Aqua Technologies cluster, President Manzano is set to lead the training of master trainers in the cluster. Meanwhile, given the expertise in the field of pharmacy, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) is eyed to host succeeding PHITEST programs for the Biopharmaceuticals and Health Technologies cluster.
Jun, 08, 2026 02:55:pm
Written By:
Site Administrator
Other News
CHED Project PAG-IBIG pushes inclusive childcare
MMSU students win $2K grant for Paoay Lake One Health project
MMSU NBERIC director shares Philippine bioenergy innovations at South Korea research forum
MMSU CVM brings vet services to Dumalneg
PJM: The sunflower garden is our gift to the MMSU Class of 2026