As-delivered Statement of NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan
on the 4th National Innovation Council Meeting
February 21, 2023
Members of the Malacañang Press Corps,
Fellow Filipinos,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon to all.
This morning, the National Innovation Council held its fourth (4th) meeting since its creation in 2019, marking the first meeting of the said Council under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.
I am pleased to announce that the Council, which serves as the government’s main coordinating body for innovation policies and is chaired by the President, has approved six (6) Executive Members for 2023 to 2026, with the 7th slot to be filled by a climate change expert. These members come from the ranks of businesses, entrepreneurs, academe, and the scientific community.
We also presented to the President salient features of the Republic Act No. 11293 or the Philippine Innovation Act, as well as updates on the formulation of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document. This document outlines the country’s ten-year vision and long-term goals for innovation and thus, serves as a detailed roadmap towards improving innovation governance.
To recall, the National Innovation Council is a 25-member body tasked to develop the country’s innovation goals, priorities, and long-term national strategy. The President serves as the Council’s Chairperson, with the Secretary of NEDA as Vice-Chairperson. We are joined by sixteen (16) ex-officio members along with seven (7) executive members from the private sector who were nominated today as mentioned earlier.
As mandated by the law, the NEDA Innovation Staff serves as the Council’s Secretariat, providing the technical, advisory, and secretariat services to the NIC and other government agencies on matters related to strategic innovation policy direction and coordination.
On the drafting and formulation of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document, we continue to build upon the Framework of the National Innovation Agenda for 2032, which is the overall framework determining our priority areas for innovation. This Framework sets the theme on enabling a flourishing innovation ecosystem through the aspects of governance, policy, infrastructure, innovation finance, and culture. Thanks to a series of consultative meetings and workshops, the Council has established 10 National Innovation Priority Areas, namely: Learning and Education, Health, Food and Agriculture, Finance, Trade, Transportation and Logistics, as well as Public Administration, Security and Defense, Energy, and Blue Economy and Water. These are the areas we have identified to be our focus for development, funding, and innovation in the next 10 years.
The National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document also ties closely with the outcomes and strategies laid out in Chapter 8 of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, on Advancing Research and Development, Technology, and Innovation. Together, these two documents aim at enabling a strong innovation governance to drive the innovation ecosystem towards our national innovation priority areas and long-term innovation goals of a smart and innovative Philippines that is productive, resilient, and sustainable, as well as inclusive.
Along with the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document, the establishment of the Innovation Fund signifies one of the other major outputs of the Council. The Innovation Fund is a revolving fund that aims to strengthen entrepreneurship and enterprises engaged in developing innovative solutions. Thus far, the Council has approved nineteen (19) project proposals amounting to PHP 115 million under the Innovation Grants—majority of which sought to address the pre-commercialization and commercialization requirements of innovative products or services, the enhancement of innovation facilities and services, and the conduct of capacity-building activities.
Conclusion
The Marcos administration is committed to promoting and advancing the culture of innovation in the country through increased collaborations with the private sector, especially as we prioritize the development of infrastructure, pursue digital transformation, and work towards creating a more attractive and enabling business environment and investment climate in this term.
To be very clear, innovation plays a critical role in our pursuit for sustained and accelerated economic growth and development, as it serves as a catalyst for raising overall productivity and elevating the quality of our goods and services.
Only through a collective national effort can we truly pursue and attain these goals for our future. The Marcos administration reaffirms its commitment and determination to turn these visions and plans into a reality, and build a strong economic foundation for the future generations of Filipinos. What we desire is to not only improve the way we do things today, but also to make us better-prepared for whatever outcomes the future may bring.
Thank you, and have a pleasant day to all.
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