THE country’s first Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (KIST) Ecozone within a private university was inaugurated on October 8, marking a milestone in the government’s effort to link research and industry toward inclusive economic growth.
De La Salle University (DLSU) opened its Innovation Hub at the DLSU Laguna Campus in Biñan City, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
The facility is the first KIST Park led by a private higher education institution (HEI).
It joins Batangas State University’s KIST Park, established in 2020 under Presidential Proclamation 947, as the second KIST Ecozone in Calabarzon and the second in the country overall.
‘These Ecozones are not just physical spaces but centers of convergence, where science and technology meet entrepreneurship,’ Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said during the launch.
‘Bold ideas are transformed into opportunities that create jobs, foster businesses, and stimulate inclusive economic growth,’ he added.
Solidum said the expansion of the KIST model to private universities will strengthen the country’s capacity to commercialize research and development (R and D) outputs.
‘De La Salle has a lot of research and development results that can be commercialized, and they have companies that they can grow,’ the science chief said.
Located within the DLSU Science and Technology Complex, the Innovation Hub is envisioned as an ecosystem for interdisciplinary research, innovation, and social impact.
It adopts the ‘quadruple helix’ framework that connects government, academia, industry, and the community in driving innovation-based growth.
For her part, PEZA group manager Rowena Naguit said the project aligns with the government’s broader goal of linking education and enterprise.
‘Education has always been the bedrock of national progress,’ Naguit said. ‘Through this KIST Park, we are strengthening that bridge between academia and industry, between research and real-world application, between knowledge and nation-building.’
The DLSU KIST Ecozone will specialize in advanced biotech systems and engineering, particularly biomedical technologies, genomics, bioinstrumentation and translational health sciences.
The launch comes as the Philippines entered the world’s 50 most innovative economies for the first time, ranking 50th out of 139 economies in the 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII). It also surpassed the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) target of 52nd place for the year.
The facility will also complement DOST’s Propel program, which accelerates innovation and technology commercialization among Filipino researchers and startups.
As of 2025, DOST said more than 30 KIST applications are under review, including one from another private HEI.
In August 2023, DOST signed an agreement with PEZA and the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) to expand the establishment of KIST Parks and Ecozones nationwide.
Under the KIST framework, universities are designated as ecozones where research facilities coexist with technology-based enterprises. These zones are intended to attract investors, generate high-skill employment and drive regional innovation-led growth.