By Kimberly S. Miguel, StratCom Correspondent

Reaffirming its commitment to sustainable development in the Ilocos region, the Mariano Marcos State University has vowed support to the programs of the Ilocos Consortium for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (ICIEERD). 

MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis made this remark before the heads and representatives of ICIEERD member-institutions during the consortium’s second management council meeting yesterday, June 21, at the University Center for Flexible Learning. 

Dr. Agrupis said that, as a consortium member, MMSU is inclined to implement research initiatives on sustainable energy, appropriate technologies for industry competitiveness, environment, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, food and nutrition security, countryside development, delivery of social services, and intelligent transport solutions. 

“In fact, we have pioneered various R&D initiatives such as the village-scale bioethanol production for sustainable energy, black garlic processing for industry competitiveness, and probiotics and functional for food research food and nutrition,” she bared.  

She added the university is also privileged to participate in the consortium’s subsidized capability-building activities such as benchmarking, seminars, conferences, and training-workshops. 

To harmonize the Ilocos region’s R&D agenda and to maximize science, technology, and innovation, President Agrupis also urged ICIEERD Chair and Northwestern University President Ferdinand Nicolas to complement the consortium’s R&D initiatives of the MMSU-based Ilocos Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium. 

She also encouraged the ICIEERD members to assist in upscaling technologies for the priority commodities in the region by pooling expert services to reengineer machines and making them accessible to the stakeholders.

Among the agenda of the meeting were the presentation of the first semestral report of ICIEERD accomplishment report, and updates on the release of funding support from the DOST Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).

ICIEERD is a regional consortium composed of 22 state and private academic institutions, national and local government agencies, and non-government organizations in the Region I. Supported by PCIEERD, it is mandated to lead the development of regional competence in research and development in strategic areas of industry, energy and emerging technology sectors in the region towards a sustainable socio-economic development. (HLY/JVBT/DPT, StratCom)