Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (KIST) Park Benchmarking

March 21-23, 2023 | TTBDO

On March 21-23, 2023, the members of the Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (KIST) Park Committee of UP Mindanao conducted a benchmarking activities in four Science and Technology Parks in CALABARZON. They visited the UP Los Baños Agro-Industrial and Information Technology Parks (UPLB AIP-TIP) in Los Banos, Laguna, the Light Industry and Science Park I (LISP I) in Cabuyao, Laguna, the Light Industry and Science Park II (LISP II) In Calamba,Laguna, and Batangas State University Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (BatSU KIST Park) in Batangas City, Batangas.

The UPLB AIP-ITP is a 70-hectare PEZA-registered Special Economic Zone (SEZ) development project handled by the UPLB Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO). During the visit, the UPLB TTBDO presented the project plan of providing an area for the academic community and industry with facilities that support academic, research, and innovative collaboration and engagements. They also shared the results of the feasibility study and market sounding and toured the UP Mindanao KIST Park Committee in the AIP-ITP complex.

The Light Industry & Science Park I & II are privately-owned industrial estates managed by the Science Parks of the Philippines, Inc. The company managed to sell the development to 116 locators. The two parks are located in two separate towns in Laguna and both are already sold out. The UPMin KIST Park committee was welcomed by the Vice President and Assistant Vice President for Operations of each park. During the presentation and tour, the presenters emphasized on the importance of having good engineering team and strong management team to ensure the project’s sustainability. They also highlighted the best features of the park such as good strategic location, complete and state-of-the-art infrastructure, and a well-managed environment, which gained them the reputation of being a cutting edge developer in industrial estates.

The Batangas State University (BatSU) KIST Park is the country's first KIST Park proclaimed last 2020. The KIST Park is the newest Special Economic Zone (SEZ) category of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). PEZA and BatSU conceptualized the KIST Park as an initiative to utilize the idle land of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to have an organized working environment for knowledge sharing among the university’s researchers, promising start-ups, and arising industries. The UPMin KIST Park committee is optimistic that this kind of platform will soon be adapted and extended also in Mindanao. During the visit, the President of BatSU and his team welcomed the UPMin KIST Park Committee. After some discussions and exchange of tokens of appreciation, the BatSU team provided a quick tour of their campus and their KIST Park where the VP for Research and Extension Services introduced their ongoing researches and collaborations with the industry.

The three-day benchmarking activity of UP Mindanao KIST Park Committee was concluded with a short discussion on the ways forward. The activity has enabled the committee to gain valuable insights into the organizational, operational, strategic, and performance aspects of the different types of Science and Technology Park. The new learnings on the experiences of establishing and operating the park by the government and private sector will be instrumental in the planning and implementation of the 12-hectare KIST PARK of UP Mindanao, which will serve as a central innovation hub in Davao Region.