TO address common challenges assessed in every community, innovators at the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) developed smart solution prototypes through the Wadhwani technology pitching competition held on Oct. 21, 2025.
DOST-Caraga region said the competition is the second installment of the first Cohort which began in January 2025 through the DOST-Wadhwani Technopreneurship Program — a partnership between the DOST and Wadhwani Operating Foundation launched in November 2024
Under this partnership, nearly 400 DOST employees underwent an intensive three-month training focused on upskilling and reskilling participants in entrepreneurship.
“By translating ideas into 17 functional prototypes, we see how local challenges identified in our regional smart cities and community’s road mapping efforts can be transformed into scalable, inclusive and sustainable solutions. These innovations reflect a simple truth: when our LGUs (local government units), industries, academe and communities collaborate, we create not just projects but pathways that we can tread together in our journey toward national development,” DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said.
To ensure that the innovations are locally relevant, DOST innovators partnered with various LGUs to identify gaps in focus areas such as urban resilience, digital governance, solid waste management, circular economy integration, sustainable transportation, climate-smart agriculture and public service innovation.
Wadhwani mentor for Mindanao Mary Rose Ofianga said each prototype is expected to support DOST’s Smart and Sustainable Communities Program and prioritize Elev8 PH initiatives.
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