Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Got a question about PCARI Project but not quite sure where to ask? We’ll try to answer all of it here!

1.     WHAT IS THE PCARI PROJECT?

The Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) Project is a capacity-building/technology-generating collaborative initiative designed to upgrade to global standards the research, development, and innovation expertise and competencies of the faculty, researchers, students and staff of Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs). The Project involves scholarships, training and research partnerships between Philippine HEIs and highly-ranked research universities in California, USA,  in the areas of:

a.     Health Innovation and Translational Medicine (HITM)

b.     Information Infrastructure and Development (IID)

2.  WHAT IS THE LEGAL BASIS OF PCARI?

The legal basis for this project can be found in Special Provision No. 6 "Allocation for the Research and Scholarship Project" of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 10352, otherwise known as the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013.

3.  WHY DO WE NEED THE PCARI PROJECT?

This unprecedented government initiative is needed to address societal problems and at the same time enable the country to catch up with its neighbors in developing a sustainable university-based research and development (R &D) infrastructure for technological innovation.

In 2016, the Philippines ranked 57th out of 138 countries/economies based on its Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) (World Economic Forum, 2016-2017 Global Competitiveness Report), and 55th out of 127 countries/economies based on its Global Innovation Index (GII) (Cornell University, INSEAD and World Intellectual Property Organization 2017). The GCI measures how institutions, policies and other factors affect the level of productivity of a country, based on 12 pillars three of which are higher education and training, technological readiness and innovation where the country placed 57th. The GII is a composite indicator that ranks countries/economies in terms of their enabling environment to innovation and their innovation outputs, using seven major indicators, including human capital (particularly tertiary education) and research in which the Philippines got particularly low ranking.

The PCARI Project was thus conceived by the science and academic community and approved by Congress in 2013 as a leap frogging strategy to build the country’s capacity for research that translates to technological innovations, strategic policies, and solutions for concrete development problems in the country.

Research partnerships with highly ranked universities is a strategy that has been proven to be effective in accelerating the development of national capacity for technological innovation based on the experience of our Asian neighbors, e.g. Singapore, Vietnam, Hongkong and China.

3. WHY IS THE PCARI PROJECT ASSIGNED TO CHED?

The PCARI Project is a capacity building initiative for Philippine HEIs. And, CHED has the primary responsibility and jurisdiction over Philippine HEIs and over the direction or redirection of research undertaken in HEIs, pursuant to R.A. No. 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994.

This is precisely the reason why R.A. No. 10352, otherwise known as the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2013 mandated CHED to implement the PCARI Project

4. HOW WILL THE PCARI PROJECT BE IMPLEMENTED?

This will be implemented through R & D collaboration among CHED, Philippine HEIs and leading research universities in California, initially the University of California Berkeley, UC San Francisco, UC Davis and UC Los Angeles. The collaboration will enable faculty, researchers, students and staff of Philippine HEIs to work with world-renowned research experts and gain access to state-of-the-art facilities.

The research projects will fund the thesis or dissertation research requirements of scholars and research staff pursuing their Master’s and Doctoral degrees. Likewise research to be undertaken by post doctoral fellows and exchange faculty shall be funded from the collaborative research projects.

Two (2) virtual institutes have been created to implement the research and training activities of the PCARI Project:

a.     Institute for Information Infrastructure Development (IIID); and

b.     Institute for Health Innovation and Translational Medicine(IHITM).

Each of these institutes is headed by a Director who is a known expert in the discipline relevant to the work of the institute.

5. WHAT ARE THE PREFERRED AREAS OF RESEARCH?

The Institute for Information Infrastructure Development will direct projects in key technology areas focusing on but not limited to the following:

·       Artificial intelligence

·       Disaster risk management and response

·       Environmental monitoring

·       Precision agriculture and food security

·       Resource assessment

·       Transportation

·       Smart buildings and environments

·       Energy generation, transmission, distribution, storage, monitoring and control

·       Renewable energy

·       Water supply and distribution systems

·       Online education, e-government and National security

The Institute for Health Innovation and Translational Medicine will direct projects on the following:

·       Introduction/generation of new devices

·       Methods of diagnosis

·       Drug development

·       High quality and cost-effective models of delivering health care

·       and preventive medicine

The areas of study shall address the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines.

6. WHY PARTNER WITH CALIFORNIA-BASED HEIs? WHY SPECIFICALLY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA?

The University of California is one of the best publicly-funded HEIs in the US which has produced 61 Nobel Laureates among its faculty, including 13 in medicine. Among its prominent campuses are:

a.     The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is consistently ranked as having the best professional schools and graduate programs in the country. It has six (6) Nobel Laureates in medicine. It is also a leading institution that focuses exclusively on health, accepting only graduates and professional students in the medical and health sciences, with translational medicine as one of its areas of excellence;

b.     The University of California Berkeley (UCB) is a global top-tier school with six Nobel Laureates currently in residence. It has strong programs directed at creating information technology solutions to most pressing environmental, social, and health care issues;

c.     The University of California Davis (UCD) is currently ranked as the top university in the world in the field of agriculture; and

d.     The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is among top universities in academics and reputation in the world. Its health system has been a leader in patient care, medical, and teaching in the US. It has seven (7) Nobel Laureates in residence.

7. HOW WILL MORE SUCs BE INVOLVED IN THE PCARI PROJECT?

SUCs other than those that are now engaged in the PCARI Project will be involved through the PCARI Research and Instructional Infrastructure for Mentoring and Collaboration (PRIME) facility, where Philippine HEIs shall have the opportunity to:

a.     Actively observe and participate in research meetings between the project leaders of local HEIs and UC;

b.     Become part of the PCARI Project research teams; and

c.     Have access to scholarships, fellowships and training

8. WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE PCARI PROJECT AS OF 2017?

Into its 4th year of implementation, the PCARI Project has supported 35 scholarship and R&D initiatives and 142 scholars including 10 pursuing graduate studies in University of California (UC). It now involves 15 Philippine higher education institutions and five (5) UC campuses.

1.     IHITM 2013-63: High Throughput Screening of Philippine Terrestrial and Marine organisms for Antimalarial Properties and Identification of Novel Drug Targets (UPD and UCSF)

2.     IHITM 2013-109: Philippine University of California Collaboratory for Device Innovation (Education/Training Award)  (UPM and UCSF)

3.     IHITM 2013-131: Accessible Detection of Dengue using BioMems and MIP Materials (UPD and UCB)

4.     IHITM-SGCL: Expansion of the Shared Genomics Core Facility in the Philippines - (No UC Component)

5.     IIID-2013-13: Resilient Sensory Swarms for Smart Energy and Environmental Monitoring (RESE2NSE) (UPD and UCB)

6.     IIID-2013-31: The Village Base Station (UPD and UCB)

7.     IIID-2013-54: Resilient Cyber Physical Societal Scale Systems (UPD and UCB)

8.     IIID-2013-58: Cost-Effective Manufacturing Using Printing Fabrication Technologies for Energy Generation, Conditioning, and Monitoring Devices (ADMU and UCB)

9.     IHITM-ASL: Animal Surgical Lab Project (UPD, DOST-PCHRD and CHED-PCARI) closely tied up to IHITM 2013-109  (No UC Component)

10.  PCARI Scholarships Project (CHED and DOST-SEI in collaboration with UC)

11.  IHITM 2015-01: Increasing the Rates of Newborn Hearing Screening with Novel Technologies and Telehealth (UPM and UCB)

12.  IHITM 2015-03: Metagenomic Contributions to Type 2 Diabetes Among Filipino Populations (UPM and UCSF)

13.  IIID-2015-07: E-Participation 2.0 Connecting Diverse Philippine Populations for Disaster Risk Management with a Toolkit Integrating Text and Speech Analytics (NU and UCB)

14.  IIID-2015-09: GREEN POWER: Generating Renewable Energy via Electrolysis of Water using New Power Hybrid Systems (UPD,UCB and UC Merced)

Project 1: Hydrogen Generation using Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Project 2: Energy Production using Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

15.  IIID-2015-10: Resilient Electricity Grids (UPD and UCB)

Project 1:         Resilient Demand Side Management Using Interruptible Loads

Project 2:         Micro-Synchrophasors for Resilient Distribution Network Operation   and Control

Project 3:         Resilient Electricity Grids Through Data Analytics for Diagnostics and   Intervention

16.  IIID-2015-13: 3rd-Generation VCSEL for Resilient Communication Networks (3V-ReCoN) (UPD and UCB)

17.  PRIME: PCARI Research and Instructional Infrastructure for Mentoring and Collaboration Project (No UC Component)

18.  IHITM 2016-09: Wearable Cardiac Arrhythmia Monitor based on Low-Power Radar Principles (DLSU and UCD)

19.  IHITM 2016-17: One Health: Innovations in Early Detection and Interventions in Human, Animal, and Plant Health (UPM, UPLB, and UCD)

20.  IHITM 2016-13: Establishment of a Philippine Cancer-Biobanking System and Biomonitoring Program (UPD and UCSF)

21.  IIID-2016-005: AIRSCAN: Collaborative Aerial Robotics in Large-Scale Urban Infrastructure Management  (UPD and UCB)

22.  IIID-2016-007: nanoQuench: Synthesis and Modeling of Porous Activated Graphene Nanofilters For Precise Water Purification and Desalination (UPD and UCB)

23.  IIID-2016-008: Development of Wireless Sensor Network-Based Water Information System for Efficient Irrigation Water Management in the Philippines (UPLB and UCB)  

24.  IIID-2016-010: Chemical and Environment - Portable Sensor Technologies (CE-PoST) (UPD and UCB)

25.  IHITM 2017-18: Glycoproteomics of Filipino Lung Cancer Cell Lines For Biomarker Discovery and Anti-Cancer Screening of Natural Products (UPLB and UCD)

26.  IHITM 2017-20: Integrating Non-communicable Disease (NCD) Management in Primary Health Care: A Population Health Survey and Action Initiative (UPM and UCLA)

27.  IHITM 2017-131 (Phase 2): Accessible Detection of Dengue Using BioMEMS and MIP Materials (UPD and UCB)

28.  IHITM 2017-24: Technology Transfer of Clinical and Molecular Advances in Autism (ADMU and UCD)

29.  IHITM 2017-63 (Phase 2): High Throughput Screening of Philippine Terrestrial and Marine Organisms for Anti-malarial Properties and Identification of Novel Drug Targets (UPD and UCSF)  

30.  IIID-2016-006: DARE: Data Analytics for Research and Education (UPD, MAPUA, and UCB)

31.  IIID-2017-31: CoCoMoNets: Connecting Communities through Mobile Networks (UPD and UCB)

32.  IIID-2017-58 (Phase 2): Cost-Effective Manufacturing Using Printing Fabrication Technologies for Energy Generation, Conditioning, and Monitoring Devices (UPD and UCB)

33.  IIID-2017-13: (Phase 2) Resilient Sensor Networks for Energy and Environmental Monitoring (UPD and UCB)

34.  IIID-2017-18: Indoor Vertical Farming System (IVFS) for Whole Year Round Production of High Value Crops in the Lowland Tropics: A Precision Agriculture for Food Security (CLSU and UCB)

35.  IIID 2017-21: Developing Information Infrastructure for Managing Antibiotics & Endocrine Disrupting Substances in Pampanga River Basin and its Coastal Environs: Maps, Transport Models, and Bioindicators of Ecological and Public Health Risks (UPD and UCD)

Some of the R & D projects have already yielded significant results, notably:

·       In HITM:

Ten (10) pure compounds from plants and marine organisms with potential to treat drug resistant (artemisinin-resistant) malaria (IHITM 2013-63: High Throughput Screening of Philippine Terrestrial and Marine Organisms for Anti-malarial Properties and Identification of Novel  Drug Targets: University of the Philippines and UC San Francisco)

Low cost portable diagnostic kit that can detect dengue as early as 2 days of the onset of fever that can be used by rural health workers in far flung areas of the country (IHITM 2013-131 Accessible Detection of Dengue: UP and UC Berkeley)

·       In IID:

Customized, low cost, low power and compact community cellular network extending the reach of mobile phones to hitherto unserved remote rural areas.With isolated communities in Aurora, Quezon, as pilot test sites, it could be replicated in rural communities with no access to cellular communications (IIID-2013-31 Village Base Station: UP and UCB)

Early warning system for plant diseases affecting banana plantations (IIID-2015-13: Cloud-based Intelligent Total Analysis System or CITAS: Ateneo de Manila University and UCB)

Inks and tools for fabricating low-cost printed electronic devices, the usability of which was demonstrated in the design and development of a portable solar collector and power storage system that could effectively operate even when solar lighting is uneven such as during cloudy days. The solar module could provide supplemental energy to households in remote areas off the grid or energy solutions during disasters and emergencies (IIID-2013-58: Printing Fabrication Technologies for Energy Generation, Conditioning and Monitoring Devices: ADMU and UCB)

9. HOW ARE THE PCARI R&D PROJECTS SELECTED?

Requests for Project Proposals (RFPs) are issued by CHED every year. Only project proposals involving collaboration between Philippine and California HEIs are qualified for further review.

Collaborative R & D proposals are evaluated through a competitive process by selected expert technical reviewers from here and abroad,  Results of the technical review  are further cleared by the Project Advisory Group (PAG) composed of noted Filipino scientists and academicians including representatives from Department of Science and Technology, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Budget and Management. Projects endorsed by the PAG are submitted to the CHED Commission en banc for approval.

10. HOW MUCH IS THE BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR THE PCARI PROJECT?

2013: PHP 1.763B

2014: PHP 1.763B

2015: None

2016: PHP763M

2017: PHP763M

11. ARE THE PCARI R & D COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS GOING TO BE AUDITED BY THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION ON AUDIT?

Yes, all PCARI R & D collaborative Projects are subject to post-audit by the Philippine Commission on Audit.

12. WHAT IS THE COUNTERPART FROM CALIFORNIA-BASED PARTNER HEIs?

Counterpart in any collaborative project could be in cash or in kind. In this particular case, the UCB, UCSF, UCD, and UCLA will contribute in kind – access to their world class laboratories, leading edge technologies and expertise that otherwise could not be possible without the collaborative arrangements.

13. WHO WILL OWN THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs) RESULTING FROM THE PCARI R & D PROJECTS?

Since PCARI R & D projects are collaborative in nature, all their IPRs are jointly owned by the Philippine and UC researchers who will generally assign their rights to their respective universities under their contracts of employment.

However, given the broad provisions on IPRs under the PCARI MOAs and RFAs, more specific provisions shall be laid out, when project activities lead to patentable or copyrightable outputs, through Inter-Institutional Agreements (IIAs) on joint IPRs.

The PCARI projects’ implementing HEIs undertake to grant to CHED for non-commercial research and educational purposes, a sublicensable, non-exclusive, royalty-free license for the life of the intellectual property rights to: i) the patent rights that are conceived and reduced to practice during the performance of research under the RFA; and, ii) in the case of copyrights, the copyrights that are first created in the course of and under a particular RFA.

The CHED, the UCB/UCSF/UCD/UCLA, and the collaborating Philippine HEI in accordance with their respective institutional policies, programs, and processes shall agree, depending on the nature and outcome of the research, what IP/IPR shall be donated, assigned, transferred, adapted, or licensed without compensation as a public good.

In general, considering that all collaborative undertakings under the PCARI Project shall be funded by the Philippine government, through the CHED, the provisions of R.A. No. 8293, as amended, also known as the "Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines", and R.A. No. 10055, also known as the "Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009", shall govern, where applicable, over the inventorship and ownership of intellectual properties and intellectual property rights arising from and/or as a result of the implementation of the approved collaborative research project.

14. HOW IS THE PCARI PROJECT BEING MANAGED?

The PCARI Project is managed by the PCARI Project Management and Coordination Office (PMCO) headed by a Project Manager and supported by a lean project staff.

The two  Research Development and Innovation Institutes, IHITM and IIID, each  led by a Director based in the Philippines, report to and assist the PMCO by performing oversight function over the R & D project activities in the Philippines and in California, USA.

The PCARI Project is managed financially and administratively, in coordination with CHED organic units and in accordance with established CHED systems and procedures and all applicable government accounting and auditing laws, rules, and regulations.

15. WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE PCARI PROJECT?

The PCARI Project ---

a.     Addresses societal scale issues using the best technologies, through a portfolio of high-impact projects including the development of technologies close to commercialization, as well as upstream scientific projects that will build research capabilities and infrastructure in selected Philippine HEIs;

b.     Involves scholarship, training, and research;

c.     Focuses on two priority fields: information infrastructure development (IID) and health innovation and translational medicine (HITM);

d.     Attracts the best and the brightest with the opportunities for professional growth and full support for research, which includes modern equipment, attendance in conferences and state-of-the-art laboratories; and

e.     Provides opportunities for direct collaboration between Philippine faculty-researchers and UC-based experts;

                                   

16. HOW WILL THE PHILIPPINES BENEFIT FROM THE PCARI PROJECT?

The following PCARI Project outputs/outcomes are expected to benefit the country:  

a.     Information infrastructure in support of disaster risk management and response, environmental monitoring, energy generation, transmission, distribution, storage, and control, precision agriculture and food security, resource assessment, transportation, water supply and distribution systems, online education, e-government and national security;

b.     Affordable and efficient diagnostic kits and medical devices, and inexpensive drugs to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the ten highest causes of mortality and morbidity in the Philippines, such as dengue, diabetes, and diseases of the heart;

c.     Contribution to the development of a critical mass of faculty, scientists and researchers equipped with the capacity to translate scientific evidence into effective technological innovations and social interventions in the identified focal areas of the project.

d.     Improved R & D management

e.     Upgraded or state-of-the-art research facilities of local HEIs for IID and HITM

f.      Creation  of jobs in new competitive high-value added industries and related support services

Did we answer all of your questions? 

If you got one or a couple more, don't hesitate to ask at us info.pcariproject@ched.gov.ph. You can download the electronic copy of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here.