SU hosts regional competition on innovation for marine sustainability
Team iGat 2.0, a team representing the University of San Jose-Recoletos, won first place in the BlueTech Innovators Challenge and received PHP 30,000 as a cash prize. The team’s coach also won PHP 10,000.
Silliman University (SU), through its Technology Business Incubator (TBI), hosted the BlueTech Innovators Challenge, an innovation competition aimed to develop technology-based solutions for challenges in marine sustainability, on September 22, 2023 at Silliman Hall.
Open to residents of Region 7, the competition also aimed to provide a platform for students, researchers, and startups to present their solutions addressing “blue economy” challenges.
The competition guidelines defined blue economy as a concept that promotes the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, better livelihoods, and job creation, all while preserving marine and coastal ecosystems’ health.
Team iGat 2.0, a team representing the University of San Jose-Recoletos, won the competition as the champion and received PHP 30,000 as a cash prize. The team’s coach also won PHP 10,000.
Team Ecowave Power Payaw, representing SU, won first runner-up while Glaucus, representing Siquijor State College, won second runner-up. Both teams also received cash prizes.
During the competition, participants underwent mentoring sessions and presented their projects to help them potentially secure support from TBIs in the region and further develop their ideas.
The competition was a collaborative effort between the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region 7 and the Development and Acceleration Support for Innovation Growth (DASIG) consortium, of which SU is a member.
DASIG started in January 2021 as a project to strengthen the startup ecosystem in Central Visayas and foster innovation and collaboration among stakeholders in the region.
Asst. Prof. Janice Antoniette V. Forster, SU TBI manager, currently serves as the project leader of DASIG.
Aside from SU, other core member institutions of DASIG include the Cebu Institute of Technology University and the University of the Philippines Cebu.
The competition was also part of the annual National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) celebration, organized by DOST to highlight the significant contributions of science and technology to national development.
(Photos by Natha Le Louise Bureros of the SU Camera Club)
Asst. Prof. Janice Antoniette V. Forster (middle), manager of the SU Technology Business Incubator (TBI) and project leader of the Development and Acceleration Support for Innovation Growth (DASIG) consortium, attends to one of the teams competing in the BlueTech Innovators Challenge.
