The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), working with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), is setting up a national system to help Filipino-made technologies move out of laboratories and into real-world use.
Many inventions from State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) stay at the research stage because they lack proof that they are ready for industry use. As a result, potentially useful technologies often do not reach hospitals, farms, factories, or global markets.
To address this, the government launched the Philippine Technology Evaluation and Standards for Testing (PHITEST), a program designed to check whether local technologies are safe, reliable, and ready for commercial use.
“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,” DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said.
PHITEST will evaluate technologies based on performance, safety, quality, and industry standards. Instead of simply approving or rejecting innovations, the system will generate data to help companies, investors, and government agencies decide whether a product is ready for use.
The program has three stages: testing and validation, standards and certification, and commercialization support. DOST and CHED will lead the first two stages.
It will initially focus on six areas where the Philippines has strong potential: semiconductors and electronics, health and biopharma, agriculture and aquaculture, renewable energy and circular economy, electric vehicles and aviation, and climate-resilient technologies.
DOST Assistant Secretary Dr. Napoleon K. Juanillo Jr. said PHITEST is not meant to act like a strict pass-or-fail regulator, but more like a guide that helps determine how ready a technology is for the market.
To support the program, DOST plans to train 60 master trainers from universities and research institutions. These trainers will later help train about 500 assessors across selected schools.
The government also plans to establish 10 testing and validation centers across the country, hosted by universities and some private higher education institutions. Final locations are still being reviewed based on facilities and readiness.
For the public, Solidum said the impact should be more practical: safer medical tools in clinics, better farm productivity, improved products in stores, and more high-value jobs in technology-related industries.
DOST said PHITEST is meant to help ensure that more Filipino innovations are not just ideas in labs, but real products that can be trusted and used widely.
