The Department of Science and Technology encourages all researchers and research intuitions to submit project proposals that will help in the current institutional socioeconomic agenda, which is focused on food security, improved transportation, affordable and clean energy, health care, education, social services, sound fiscal management, and bureaucratic efficiency.

In a televised interview, a DoST key official said that a call conference series all over the country is being conducted.

“Today is the last leg of the Call Conference for 2024, where we have invited researchers from various universities and research institutions,” she said. “We went to Baguio for the North Luzon cluster; Cagayan de Oro for the Mindanao cluster; and last week was in Cebu for the Visayas cluster,” said DoST Undersecretary Leah Buendia.

She went on to explain that selected relevant research and development, or R&D, projects will be funded under the DoST Grants-in-Aid, or DoST GIA, program.

According to the agency, this program “aims to harness the country's scientific and technological capabilities to spur and to attain a sustainable economic growth and development,” and “aims to strengthen the participation, technology transfer and utilization, human resources development, information dissemination, advocacy, and linkages.”

The DoST’s four main pillars in its strategic plan for 2023–2028 are human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability.

"Here, in these pillars, research proposals will be submitted so that each priority area can increase the possibility that the proposal will be funded,” said Buendia.

So far, the agency has provided over P11.5 billion for R&D projects carried out all over the country.

"We are now going around the country to inform others that these funds are available and will encourage other researchers to submit a proposal to provide a solution to the problems of our country,” the science and technology official said.

Among the R&D projects funded by the government are GeoRiskPH and HazardHunter, which are hazard-mitigation innovations aimed at enhancing efforts in the nation's disaster risk management and calamity recovery.

Buendia said that they usually receive thousands of proposals, but due to further evaluation and limited funding, only hundreds of proposals are being processed and funded.

Among the councils where researchers can submit their proposals are the National Research Council of the Philippines, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development, the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Research and Development, and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

The submission of proposals will run from 1 to 15 March 2024.