The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) participated in the TECHGROW: Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship Collaboration and Harmonization of Growing Regional Opportunities on Wealth Creation summit, with the theme “Leveraging Technology Transfer and Commercialization for Smart and Sustainable Communities.”

The event serves as a platform to actively promote mature, locally developed technologies; facilitate business matching between Higher Education Institutions/Research and Development Institutions (HEIs/RDIs) and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for licensing opportunities; and foster partnerships to strengthen the country’s technology transfer ecosystem.

DOST-PTRI was invited to judge the North Luzon Smart Solutions Pitch: Addressing MSME Challenges under the Gifts, Decors & Handicrafts category. Ms. Jenneli E. Caya, Supervising Science Research Specialist, participated as one of the judges. Two technologies were pitched on 24 April 2025.

The first technology is a buli fiber flattening and strengthening equipment developed by Bulacan State University in collaboration with PUNIQUE, a social enterprise focused on developing and marketing craft products, such as fashion accessories, made from buli. Buli or buri (Corypha elata) is a species of palm endemic to the Philippines. Preparing buli fibers is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process—an issue the invention aims to solve. The team from Bulacan claims that the technology can reduce preparation time by more than 50%.

The second technology presented was a project by the University of the Philippines–Baguio, which utilizes plasma technology to render polyester fabric antimicrobial. Plasma, a state of matter similar to gas but composed of charged particles, modifies the surface of the fabric, making it more receptive to functionalization. The study has been published in a peer-reviewed journal and was also presented during the 2023 Philippine Textile Congress.

The announcement of winners will be held on 25 April 2025, at the Newtown Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.