Philippine Women’s College of Davao ranks 3rd in DOST HEIRIT program kick-off

THE PHILIPPINE Women’s College of Davao ranked number three in the country, and number one in Mindanao, in the Technology Business Incubator (TBI) Project of the Department of Science and Technology’s Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship (HEIRIT) Program, during its kick-off held on June 23-24, 2022, at the Grand Hall of the World Palace Hotel in Davao City. 

A total of 27 universities and colleges, out of 89 HEI applicants from around the country, were granted access to funding by the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).

PWC of Davao is the only privately owned college in Mindanao to have participated, with its PWC CHI+ (Creative Hub for Industry 4.0), a technology business incubator for the mainstreaming of indigenous culture, heritage, and identity, focused on fashion and food as a lifestyle; it is unique in its focus on the creative industries. 

De La Salle College of St. Benilde and the Ateneo de Manila University, both from the NCR, were ranked first and second, respectively. 

Present during the kick-off were Prof. Vicente Antonio V. Pijano III, PWC of Davao Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer, and members of the PWC CHI+ team: Mr. Emi L. Englis, PWC TBI Manager and Head of the Center for Innovation and Social Ventures (CISV); Ms. Ma. Christina B. Ramos, Food Processing and Innovation Center (FPIC) Manager; Ms. Maria Julieta R. Torres, Director of the Linkages and Partnerships Development Office; and Ms. Michelle T. Autentico, Program Chair for Food Technology. 

Other members of the PWC CHI+ include Engr. Filmann Simpao, Innovation Technology Support Office (ITSO) Manager, from the University of Southeastern Philippines, and Entrepreneurs-In-Residence Jose Rhoniel Batu of the Davao Fashion Design Council (DFDC), Dolores Saniel of Lola Abon’s Durian Candy Factory, and Mary Grace Belvis of Rosario’s Delicacies. The PWC of Davao Project Management Team contributed significantly to the success of the school’s TBI application. 

The recognition given by the DOST-PCIEERD will spur the expansion of the school’s Institutional Management Enterprise (IME) program, and its Thesis to Business models, as well as boost development in PWC of Davao’s Creatives domain, covering the Food and Fashion Design areas, benefiting students and community partners alike.

This is further proof that the Philippine Women’s College of Davao adheres strongly to its motto: Innovation is Our Tradition.