Philippine and French electronics companies and universities sealed five cooperation agreements during a signing ceremony today capping off a series of digital business and academic meetings initiated since the height of the pandemic in 2020, and co-organized by the Semiconductor & Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Foundation Inc. (SEIPI) and its French counterpart, ACSIEL Alliance Électronique (ACSIEL), with support from the Philippine Embassy in Paris, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-PTIC) in Paris.
In the virtual presence of Philippine Ambassador to France Junever Mahilum-West, French Ambassador to Manila Michelle Boccoz, SEIPI President Dan Lachica, and ACSIEL President Jean Luc Estienne, Batangas State University & University of Lille, Mapua University & University of Limoges, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta & University of Limoges, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta & National Institute of Applied Sciences of Lyon, and Ionics EMS, Inc. & C.I.F. – Circuit Imprimé Français, signed agreements that can help elevate the level of business, education, research data and information exchanges for both countries, in a sector that is already expected to generate at least USD40Billion in export revenues for the Philippines in 2021, and which already provides direct and indirect employment to at least 3 million people in the country.
Estienne who heads ACSIEL, the largest French organization of the Electronic components (active, passive, connectors, PCBs, electromechanical), Test and Measurement, and Equipment and Consumables for the electronic industry and universities also shared that he hopes the agreements will further encourage French companies and universities — starting off with their 120 members—that the Philippines can potentially be a strong business and academic partner of France in a most crucial global industry that has seen electronics demand rising at the time of further digitalization.
Already, a French mission to the Philippines to visit their counterparts is already being eyed in the second quarter of 2022.
SEIPI’s Lachica added that the pandemic did not deter them to pursue regular digital meetings with ACSIEL, with whom they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June 2019 at the sidelines of the 8th Philippines-France Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting held in Manila. Both electronics associations continuously held regular virtual meetings, exchanged industry information, and initiated university-to-university (U2U) and business-to-business (B2B) projects between their member-companies and universities. The result of these regular dialogues, were the four academic partnerships, and one business contract signed today.
The ACSIEL-SEIPI partnership started in September 2018 through the support of the Philippine Embassy in Paris and the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and was formalized at the meeting of the French-Philippine Joint Economic Committee (JEC), in the presence of its Trade Ministers and Ambassadors on 28 June 2019. The MOU aims to develop the exchange of goods and electronic services between France and the Philippines, promote the global relations between SMEs of the respective electronic sectors, and increase the possibilities of industrial investments in each territory. ACSIEL and SEIPI began undertaking joint activities such as plant tours, conventions, and exhibitions.
The U2U projects will focus on collaboration in the fields of teaching, research and development, and expertise through faculty, personnel and student exchange programs, joint academic and training programs, research collaborations, and cultural exchange activities.
The B2B partnership will explore commercial transactions between the companies.
The signing of business and academic MOUs today likewise serves as a prelude to the 75th anniversary of the establishment Philippines-France bilateral relations in 2022. ♦
Date of release: 16 December 2021