DOST to set national testbeds in select universities to ramp up global competitiveness on local techs

From the DOST public archive. Original source publication date: 2026-05-06. Captured 2026-09-04. Read the original DOST source.

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Most of the Filipino-developed technologies and innovations often remain in laboratories and fail to reach the global market due to insufficient proof of readiness.

For instance, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) produce complex and groundbreaking technologies but they fail to prove that they are ready for adoption. These pose a loss of economic value for the country.

To address this pressing concern, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in partnership with the Commission on Higher on Education (CHED) has formally introduced a national initiative called Philippine Technology Evaluation and Standards for Testing (PHITEST).

This initiative aims to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale innovation and market or policy adoption by ensuring that technologies meet performance, safety, quality, and compliance standards required by industry, regulators, and end-users.

Through PHITEST, DOST aims to increase the number of validated, market-ready Filipino technologies, improve industry and investor confidence in local innovations, enable faster adoption of technologies in public and private sectors, and stronger alignment of R&D outputs with industry and regulatory requirements.

“Filipino ingenuity is not a problem to solve. The challenge lies in how we move our innovation from the laboratory to the marketplace, from prototypes to industries, meaning scaled up with mass production and from isolated success stories to sustain national impact," DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said in a press conference.

The testing and evaluation system will have its three layers namely, technology validation layer; standards, testing and certification layer; and commercialization layer which will be led by the DOST and CHED except for the commercialization part.

For now, the initiative will focus on six sectors where the Philippines has strong potential for global competitiveness. This includes Semiconductors and Electronics, Biopharma and Health Technologies, Agri-Aqua Technologies, Renewable Energy & Circular Economy, Electric Vehicles & Aviation, and Climate Change and Resilience Technologies.

Moreover, DOST Assistant Secretary of Technology Transfer, Communications and Commercialization Dr. Napoleon K. Juanillo Jr. clarified that the national testbed system is not like a regulatory body with a “pass-or-fail” system. Instead, it will provide data that will guide the consumers on the market readiness of a product or technology.

“To begin with, in terms of human capital and institutional recurrence, we should be able to train 60 master trainers for both university presidents, vice presidents for research and extension, as well as other scientists and specialists coming from universities and exposing them to global test kits,” Asec. Juanillo said.

These 60 master trainers, who will undergo global benchmarking and Master Trainer Development, will provide the training of 500 PHITEST assessors from SUCs and select HEIs.

The DOST and CHED are also targeting to establish 10 validation centers situated across the country, mainly composed of universities and private higher education institutions. However, as of this writing, the DOST and the CHED have yet to finalize the list of centers as they are also considering the readiness of the SUCs and HEIs in terms of infrastructure.

“So, for ordinary Filipinos, for everyone who wants to do PHITEST, PHITEST means something very concrete. Safer medical technologies in health centers. More productive farms in rural communities. Better quality products in the market. And more stable, higher-value jobs in industry and technology sectors. Because innovation is not only about ideas, but trust. What we sell are the solutions that are proven to be effective. Solutions that are trusted,” Solidum said.

While there are many other mechanisms that are being instituted by the DOST, Juanillo said the PHITEST initiative is something that the agency hopes to make a dent in product development, as well as in the commercialization and promotion of the country’s products locally and globally.(By Claire Bernadette A. Mondares, DOST-STII)