DOST’s Young Innovators Program signs new research grants for high school students

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Young Innovators Program

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) signs new research grants to selected high school students through its DOST-PCIEERD Young Innovators Program (YIP) – now on its second iteration in 2018.

SUPPORT for research and innovation continues to flow from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

And in this time the stream of assistance is not just for college, but also for promising high school, students. Not just a team either, but individuals may also qualify for the DOST research grant.

It’s the Young Innovators Program (YIP), which the DOST’s Innovation Council, or the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), is implementing on its second iteration in 2018.

Over the last week of August, the DOST put ink into paper for six Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) signed on behalf of the awardees by their respective parents.

Young Innovators Program
YIP poster grabbed from DOST-PCIEERD website.

Six MOA for 2018 Young Innovators Program

DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña witnessed the signing with Ermie Bacarra, head of PCIEERD Human Resources and Institution Development Division signing for the Innovation Council. Six MOA covered the YIP research grants.

The research projects that DOST-PCIEERD approved for 2018 YIP after stringent evaluations are:

  • Hibla: An Alternative Sound Absorption Material, Angeles City Science High School, Pampanga;
  • Design and Development of Low-Cost, High Performance Hybrid Rocket for Can Satellite Deployment Applications, St. Cecilia’s College, Cebu City;
  • Fortified Trees: Real-Time Data Logging and Analysis with Machine Learning of Sound Frequency Data in Forests, Philippine Science High School (PSHS), SOCCSKSARGEN Region Campus, Southern Mindanao;
  • Synthesis of Nanocellulose Reinforced Chitosan Hydrogel as Bioink for 3D Printing of Artificial Articular Cartilage, DMMME, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City;
  • Project BAGWIS: A Low-Cost Micro Wind Turbine System for Lighting, Charging, and Electrified Floodwater Detection, Mapua University; and,
  • Capitalizing on Microbial Interactions for Improving Shelf-Life and Gut-Health Benefits of Carabao’s Milk Product (NICE4GUT), Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines (UP), Diliman, Quezon City.

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Stipend/living allowance, grants from Young Innovators Program (YIP)

For high students the stipend/living allowance was pegged at Php12,000 a month, for individual or group; for Bachelor of Science (BS) student, it’s Php15,000 per month, individual or group; and for Master’s of Science student, it goes up to Php20,000 monthly.

Meanwhile the award grants for high school student may start Php200,000; for BS student, Php400,000; and MS student, P500,000.

De la Peña emphasized that the grant may go up as high as Php1 million as long as students can justify the amount their research proposal required.

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He said the grant can be as high as Php1 million.

YIP awardees have their mentors, so mentors have their honoraria at Php8,800 a month.

The grant money will go to laboratory expenses, equipment rental, testing consumables, printing expenses and other supplies and materials, subject for approval.

It can be recalled that the YIP started in 2017 and it gives even high school students a chance to develop the products of their research with funding from the agency.

Young Innovators Program
DOST Secretary during the MOA signing. Photo by EDD K. Usman

Young Innovators Program (YIP) is also for high school students

Across the country there are non-college students who are doing research and developing products without getting attention, specially from national government agencies such as DOST.

The DOST Young Innovators Program is their chance to shine and contribute with the solutions they are creating.

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So, the YIP “is an initiative of PCIEERD to provide funding to students and up-and-coming researchers with innovative research direction to pursue pioneering work leading to quality research paper, publication or product/invention.”

Its objectives is to train and prepare the young researchers to perform independent research, by providing funding to promising scientists and engineers with direction.

Qualified to apply for YIP funding are Filipino citizens who are 30 years old and below, full-time high school/BS/MS student who are not employed but involved in research or innovation activities.

And they should perform research subjects that are in line with the PCIEERD sectoral priority areas in the DOST Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda (HNRDA). (EKU)