DAVAO CITY – Various micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are currently being linked with academe experts to help them address business challenges.
It can be noted that MSMEs are one of those who were hit the hardest because of the pandemic, especially that lockdowns and restrictions have been going on for almost a year already. These have hampered their regular operations. To help businesses survive, the Davao Regional Inclusive Innovation Center (RIIC) came up with the Innovation for Business Recovery (IBR) Plan project. The IBR intends to come up with compact yet innovative strategic plans of action with the help of the identified academe experts. The MSMEs can adopt these in their operations to maximize chances of survival and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the current situation.
This initiative was officially launched last 11 December through a Virtual Signing of the IBR Plan Project Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The document did not only jumpstart the project but also institutionalized the commitments of all concerned and partners. The MOU formalized the roles and responsibilities of the RIIC member agencies, which include the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and Philippine Information Agency (PIA). In the meantime, the academic institutions involved in the project are the University of the Philippines – Mindanao Campus (UP-Min) and Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU). On the other hand, the anchor private sector organization is the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII), while the project partner is the United States Agency for International Development’s Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (USAID STRIDE). The latter serves as the framework for project implementation.
DTI-Davao Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said the Davao RIIC looks into the possibility of onboarding as many MSMEs in the project.
“The project is expected to pinpoint the MSMEs’ needs and provide innovative solutions to their problems with the help of subject matter experts from the academe. We are also considering its expansion by forging partnerships with more graduate schools in the region,” she said.
At present, the project simultaneously works with the first batch of MSMEs, particularly the Healthy Sweets Mindanao Corporation, Malagos Foods, Nutricient Corporation, As & Rs Food Products, D’ Farmer’s Market, and King’s Baked Foods. To identify more eligible enterprises, everyone is encouraged to take part in the Business Impact Survey which can be accessed at bit.ly/iSTRIKEBIS. ♦
Date of Release: 9 March 2021