DoST expands science agenda with AI hub, heritage sites

The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) is moving its research out of the laboratory and into the center of public planning, launching a series of initiatives that span from artificial intelligence (AI) to heritage conservation and national nutrition.

DoST’s latest efforts, revealed through its various regional offices and attached bureaus, signal a shift toward using technical data to guide regional development and household-level interventions.

A cornerstone of this strategy is the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation (NAICRI). Designed to implement the country’s AI strategy through 2028, the center serves as a hub for researchers, government agencies, and small businesses.

According to DoST data, while more than 80 percent of Philippine establishments have basic digital infrastructure, only 15 percent have adopted advanced AI technologies. This adoption remains heavily concentrated in urban areas and among large firms.

NAICRI aims to close this gap by providing shared computing power and training for applications in disaster preparedness, health management, and logistics.

The center’s launch also showcased the “Museo” project, an AI-driven initiative that uses 3D reconstruction to create “digital twins” of historical artifacts.

In a bid to decentralize science planning, Northern Mindanao researchers recently joined the 2026 Mindanao Cluster Call Conference. The meeting focused on aligning regional priorities — such as 5G and 6G ecosystems and the development of Cagayan de Oro — with national goals.

Meanwhile, in Bohol, the DoST Forest Products Research and Development Institute signed an agreement with Bohol Island State University last 19 February 2026. The partnership uses non-destructive testing to assess aging wooden elements in historic structures, including the 195-year-old Casa Rocha and the Baclayon and Loboc churches.

The program, known as EPOCH, aims to balance structural safety with historical authenticity by identifying decay and termite activity that is not visible to the naked eye.

In other developments, the DoST Food and Nutrition Research Institute has also released findings from the 2023 National Nutrition Survey, which for the first time examined the “food environment” of Filipinos.

The survey found that traditional food stores remain the most vital link in the country’s food chain, accessible to 99.2 percent of urban households and 98.6 percent of rural households. Approximately 66.9 percent of households regularly purchase food from sari-sari stores.