Neda hopes to get P200 million innovation fund in 2023 | Cai Ordinario

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Design in Design Innovation | 0 Comments

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) is hoping that it will get a budget of more than P200 million for the innovation fund in 2023.

In a virtual AskNeda briefing on Tuesday, Neda Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Rosemarie G. Edillon said the government has already allocated the financing for the innovation fund in 2020.

However, Edillon said the P200 million had to be sacrificed in favor of the country’s Covid-19 response. The budget was again granted in 2021 but delays in its release prevented the Neda to use the funding.

“Actually, this was appropriated last year and because of the extension of the validity of the 2021 GAA (General Appropriation Act), we are allowed to use it until the end of this year,” Edillon said.

“We do intend to request for some more appropriation for next year. But, I suppose, we have to be able to demonstrate some accomplishments this year,” she added.

Nonetheless, Edillon said, she remains confident that the National Innovation Council (NIC), which is headed by the President and whose Vice Chair is the Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, will be able to showcase accomplishments this year.

The council is drafting the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document (NIASD) which will outline the country’s 10-year vision and long-term goals to improve innovation governance and raise overall productivity.

Edillon also gave an overview of the Philippine Innovation Toolkit and the AmBisyon e-Village. The toolkit was developed in collaboration with USAID- Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) Program to serve as the core platform for NIASD Co-Creation Workshops.

Meanwhile, the AmBisyon e-Village is an online innovation platform where Filipino innovators can expand their network, exchange knowledge, and adopt new technologies or innovative solutions.

The National Innovation Agenda and the AmBisyon e-Village will be launched on April 21 in time for the annual National Innovation Day.

Signed in 2019 by President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine Innovation Act establishes the National Innovation Council (NIC), which is the government’s main coordinating body for innovation policies.