On 30 May 2023, the Philippine National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), led by its Innovation Staff (InnovS), issued the Notice to Proceed (NTP) for PRIMEX to conduct a Scoping Study to assist the National Innovation Council (NIC) Secretariat in the identification, assessment, and evaluation of the significant barriers to the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11293, The Philippine Innovation Act (PIA) of 2019. RA 11293 mandated NEDA to lead the coordination and formulation of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document (NIASD), which will establish the country’s vision and long-term goals for innovation and provide a roadmap and strategies for improving innovation governance. The NIASD will determine the strategic research, development, and extension (RD&E) programs and themes that should be prioritized by the national government.
The five-month study aims to: (i) gather quantitative and qualitative data from innovation actors on barriers to innovation with a focus on the five identified innovation enablers: governance, policy, infrastructure, culture, and financing; (ii) assess the capacity of innovation actors and gather recommendations for them to better respond to identified barriers; and (iii) provide policy recommendations on how to respond to or mitigate the barriers identified in the study.
A virtual Kick-off Meeting (KOM) was held on 31 May 2023, with NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon, Assistant Secretary Sarah Ducanes, Director Diane Maharjan leading the InnovS in discussing the study objectives, research methods, timelines, and deliverables with the PRIMEX Consultant Team (PCT) and PRIMEX Senior Management led by Ms. Elvira Ablaza, Chief Operating Officer.
During the KOM, NEDA Policy and Planning Group Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon stressed the need for the study identify the “lynchpin interventions and policies” that will address the barriers to innovation. Ms. Ablaza thanked NEDA for yet another opportunity for PRIMEX to work with NEDA in the implementation of an important study. She also noted the challenge of conducting a survey plus focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao within the short study period. “Our Team will need to work very closely with NEDA’s Innovation Staff in the next five months if we are to complete our study on time,” she said.
A follow-up meeting was held by the PCT and NEDA InnovS on 1 June 2023 to discuss the research framework, the conduct of the surveys, the schedule of report submissions, follow-up meetings, and the outline of the Inception Report.
The PRIMEX Consultant Team is composed of Dr. Lily Ann D. Lando, Technical Consultant/Team Leader; Ms. Eleanore V. Ramos, Research Associate/Statistician; Ms. Rose Olfindo-Hamanaka, Research Associate/Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Specialist; and Mr. Julius R. Colibao, Administrative Assistant. Mr. Len R. Garces, PRIMEX Vice President for Technical Services serves as Project Director and Mr. Timothy Virgil Launo is Project Coordinator.