President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has officially declared a 50,000-square-meter portion of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Science and Technology Complex in Biñan, Laguna, as a Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology (KIST) Ecozone.

Proclamation No. 985 formally designates the area as the De La Salle University Innovation Hub, located within the Leandro V. Locsin Campus on Laguna Boulevard in Barangay Malamig.

Signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on 30 July, the proclamation aligns with the government’s push to strengthen innovation ecosystems through academic and research institutions. 

The KIST Ecozone initiative supports research advancement, skills development, R&D commercialization, and the promotion of techno-entrepreneurship, particularly in state universities and colleges.

The move, recommended by the PEZA Board of Directors, is in line with Republic Act (RA) 7916 or the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, as amended by RA 8748, and supported by its implementing rules and PEZA Board Resolution No. 23-113 (s. 2023).

The proclaimed ecozone covers the land identified as Lot 2708-B-7-B-2, Psd-04-268517, under Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. 060-2011000244. The specific boundaries and technical descriptions are detailed in the official proclamation.

The establishment of the DLSU Innovation Hub as a KIST Ecozone is expected to bolster the country’s innovation landscape and foster stronger collaboration between academia and industry.