The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) disclosed its plan to continue supporting the Department of Science and Technology’s Balik Scientist Program (DOST-BSP), which seeks to enhance the country’s higher education and research initiatives.
‘We in CHED are committed to sustaining this momentum,’ said CHED Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis during the 11th BSP Convention with the theme ”Balik Scientists in Action: Real-world Impact, Powered by Filipino Minds’ in Pasay City on October 3. ‘Balik’ is a Filipino word for returning.
Agrupis underscored that the impact of the BSP should ‘ripple across all higher education institutions [HEIs],’ ensuring that the advantages of global expertise are shared nationwide rather than limited to a few institutions.
‘To do this, CHED is working hand in hand with the DOST, and our partner institutions, to ensure that returning scientists are fully integrated into teaching, mentoring, and research programs that directly address our country’s most urgent challenges,’ she emphasized.
The CHED chief said the initiative is part of Commission’s Achieve Agenda, which prioritizes human capital development, research, and innovation.
‘It is very vital that we give priority to the centralized, one nation human capital development plan. We cannot close the STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] gap unless we align education with national priorities,’ Agrupis said.
‘Filipino expertise can be harnessed’
‘The achievements of our Balik Scientists-in fields as diverse as vaccine development, coastal engineering, aquaculture, renewable energy, and biotechnology-show how Filipino expertise can be harnessed to solve our most urgent challenges,’ Science Secretary Reneto U. Solidum Jr said during the convention.
Balik Scientists presented their works during the event.
Dr. Angelo Bañares, who is engaged with the University of Mindanao (UM) and Pampanga State Agricultural University, specializes in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, with key research focused on microbial engineering for the production of high-value chemicals and the development of biosensors for dynamic regulation of engineered metabolic pathways.
His work in UM deals with metabolic engineering of microbes for the conversion of used plastic to glycolic acid that is used for cosmetics like exfoliating agents.
Meanwhile, Balik Scientist Rev. Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP, PhD, currently hosted by the University of Santo Tomas, is involved in local vaccine and biotech research ecosystem, including the development of a Covid-19 oral vaccine from probiotic yeast.
He is currently a member of the Private Sector Advisory Council-Healthcare that is directly advising President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on drug or vaccine pipelines, Balik Nurse Program, and Universal Healthcare reforms.
For his part, Balik Scientist Dr. Joemel Quisumbing is engaged in Modeling Framework for Sustainable Cage Aquaculture and Coastal Pollution Control. It is a comprehensive tool that integrates social, environmental, and technological aspects to promote sustainable cage aquaculture and coastal pollution control, addressing research gaps for ecosystem-based aquaculture decision-making.
Bridging the science gap
According to DOST Undersecretary Dr. Leah J. Buendia, for Research and Development, the country continues to face challenges in strengthening its science, technology, and human resource capacity.
Citing the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2024, Buendia said the Philippines has fewer than 174 researchers per million population, ranking 84th out of 132 countries.
Buendia noted that this gap highlights the need for programs that expand the pool and improve the capabilities of human resources in science, technology, and innovation, as these strengthen knowledge creation within the country’s innovation ecosystem.
As of September 2025, the BSP has engaged 697 Filipino scientists, with a total of 933 completed engagements nationwide.
Buendia said the program recorded a significant increase in Balik Scientists’ participation in 2019, but declined during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
However, she added that the program has since regained momentum, with the number rising in 2022 and peaking again in 2023.
From January to September this year, 44 BSP engagements have been approved with more applications still being processed through DOST’s three sectoral councils: the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development.
Buendia said the Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technologies sector accounts for the largest share of engagements at 43.3 percent, followed by Agriculture at 29.2 percent, and Health at 27.5 percent.
These collaborations, she added, support key areas-such as food security, public health, biomedical research, and medical technologies-reflecting the program’s responsiveness to national priorities.
Since its inception in 2007, the BSP has built a network of over 164 host institutions across the country.
‘The academe remains the largest partner group, with universities and higher education institutions hosting the majority of our engagements,’ Buendia said, noting that this underscores the vital role of universities in research, training, and mentoring the next generation of scientists.
She added that the program also partners with DOST agencies, other government offices, and private industries to bridge research and practical applications, bringing innovations closer to communities and markets.
The BSP has established a nationwide presence, with 109 host institutions and 555 engagements in Luzon, 31 host institutions and 96 engagements in the Visayas, and 24 host institutions with 80 engagements in Mindanao. The National Capital Region recorded the highest number of engagements at 387, followed by Region 4A with 73 and Region 6 with 48.
Buendia said efforts are ongoing to strengthen the BSP’s reach in regions with fewer engagements through orientations and needs assessment activities.
These, she added, would allow scientists and host institutions to build connections not only within the country but also with international partners.
‘To our Balik scientists, thank you very much. Your passion, your dedication embody the spirit of balik puso [heart], balik Pilipinas, balik scientists,’ Buendia said partly in Filipino, noting that they have proven that no long distance can weaken a Filipino heart for service, and no challenge is too great when powered by collaboration.
Building scientists
Agrupis pointed out that CHED is working with DOST, industry, and universities ‘to produce the right number of scientists, right number of engineers, and researchers to meet our urgent needs in food security, renewable energy, health, and digital innovation.’
She cited the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program, which encourages top graduates to pursue priority programs, and CHED’s Harmonized Sustainable Development Goals-based Research and Innovation Agenda, which directs research toward solving real-world problems.
‘Under our Achieve Agenda, CHED is committing to strengthening the research ecosystem in all our universities, so that innovation serves both local communities and the nation,’ she said.
To attract more young Filipinos to STEM, Agrupis said CHED is creating pathways that make science ‘attractive and accessible’-from scholarships and flexible learning options to specialized programs that address regional needs.
‘This is where the Balik Scientist Program proves the value of global linkages. They bring home expertise, networks, and opportunities. CHED has the funding to espouse the way forward of the DOST Balik Scientist Program,’ she said.
She noted that CHED is expanding partnerships with universities and research centers abroad to strengthen international collaboration while maintaining strong ties with local institutions.
‘These priorities on human capital development, research for national progress, lifelong learning, and internationalization are not abstract,’ Agrupis said. ‘They are the levers that will allow us to build a critical mass of scientists, empower our universities, and ensure that the brilliance of Filipino minds is not only recognized abroad but fully realized at home.’
‘We cannot delay,’ she pointed out. ‘The future of Philippine higher education and research depends on how boldly we act today to nurture talent and empower scientists to lead.’