DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) director Junel B. Soriano and Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) president Ruby S. Matibag led the ceremonial memorandum of agreement signing for the project, Expansion of BPSU Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubator (ATBI) through the Establishment of Women-centric Agri-tech Startup Incubation Program, on 6 October 2023 at the BPSU, Bataan.

Funded under the Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Fund R&D program, the project aims to expand and strengthen the university’s ATBI. Specifically, it aims to enhance women participation in both technology and innovation, and entrepreneurship in the agriculture and fisheries sector. Through a women-centric startup incubation framework, the project seeks to provide better opportunities for women and strengthen BPSU’s gender and development initiatives.

“The proposed incubation program will lobby matured related technologies to six identified women-led startups which are mostly registered cooperatives and businesses engaged in high-value crop production, post-harvesting techniques, and product development,” BPSU project leader Engr. Michela T. Espino highlighted.

Meanwhile, BAR-Program Development Division chief Raymond Patrick L. Cabrera discussed the goals of the ACEF component, especially in effectively and efficiently transferring and commercializing ready-to-adopt technologies.  

“ACEF [R&D] Program is a DA program wherein farmers and state universities [collaborate] to maximize the program and transfer the technology that has been studied in the university. Through this program we hoped [to] help the competitiveness, specifically the productivity and profitability, of the farmers and fisherfolk,” he explained.

During the event, officials from DA-BAR and BPSU, together with project team and technical staff, also discussed the project timelines as well as deliverables vis-à-vis its objectives during and after the project implementation.

The project is among the seven recently-approved ACEF R&D support to technology commercialization projects. DA-BAR stands as the lead coordinating and managing agency for the ACEF R&D grant. (### Angelo N. Padura and Ma. Elena M. Garces)