CALAPAN CITY, ORIENTAL MINDORO — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) regional offices will convene Southern Luzon’s top researchers, industry leaders, and local governments for the 2026 South Luzon Innovation and Technology Transfer Summit (SLITTS) on October 8–9 at the Calapan City Convention Center, aiming to drive regional economic growth by turning local research into commercial solutions.

Hosted by DOST-MIMAROPA, in partnership with DOST-CALABARZON and DOST-Bicol, the two-day summit will gather researchers, technology generators, industries, local government units (LGUs), potential adopters, academic and research institutions, and other innovation stakeholders from across CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Bicol Region.

Carrying the theme “Where Problems Meet Solutions: Catalyzing Technology Transfer and Commercialization in South Luzon,” SLITTS 2026 aims to showcase available technologies that may respond to challenges grounded in the experiences of industries, enterprises, LGUs, and communities. The summit will also provide a platform for knowledge sharing, technology matching, and collaboration to support the adoption, transfer, and commercialization of research outputs and innovation-driven solutions.

At the core of the summit is a problem-driven approach that looks not only at technologies ready for adoption, but also at the needs and challenges they are meant to address.

Through Reverse Pitching, participating industries and LGUs will present actual challenges, needs, and priority concerns from their sectors and communities. Researchers and technology generators will then have an opportunity to identify existing solutions, areas requiring further research and development (R&D), and possible points for collaboration.

This will be complemented by Technology Pitching, where researchers and technology generators will present available technologies and R&D outputs with potential applications to identified needs. Business Matching sessions will provide prospective adopters and technology generators with a more focused venue to discuss technologies of interest and explore possible adoption, commercialization, and partnerships.

SLITTS 2026 will also feature a Technology and Innovation Exhibit showcasing technologies, programs, products, and initiatives from research and development institutions, academic institutions, LGUs, and DOST-assisted enterprises. The exhibit will allow participants to explore technologies with potential applications in businesses, industries, communities, and local development.

Another major component is the Asian Productivity Organization-In-Country Development of Demonstration Companies (APO-DMP) Dissemination Conference, which will present results and good practices from participating demonstration State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in innovation management, productivity improvement, and research commercialization. The summit will likewise feature success stories from technology adopters and spin-offs in Southern Luzon, as well as discussions on technology transfer negotiations and agreements.

The event will also highlight the accomplishments of the Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship Collaboration and Harmonization of Growing Regional Opportunities on Wealth Creation (TECHGROW) Project, the three-year national initiative under which SLITTS is being conducted. TECHGROW seeks to strengthen the innovation capacities of DOST Regional Offices, SUCs, and Local Universities and Colleges toward the development, transfer, commercialization, and adoption of market-driven technologies.

Among the regional innovations to be featured is Project ISIP (Integrated System for Intellectual Property Registration), a  web-based  platform  developed  by DOST-MIMAROPA through DOST Oriental Mindoro to connect innovators with intellectual property experts and provide end-to-end support for intellectual property registration. The platform is being enhanced through artificial intelligence integration and a mobile application to provide guided drafting, intelligent IP recommendations, and real-time application tracking. In collaboration with the DOST-Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI), the initiative seeks to expand access to intellectual property assistance for innovators and technology developers.

More than a showcase of technologies, SLITTS 2026 is designed to strengthen the pathway from identifying a problem to finding a solution and building the partnerships needed to put that solution into use.

Through the summit, DOST aims to strengthen connections among researchers, government, academe, industry, and communities and create more opportunities for research outputs and technologies to move beyond laboratories and institutions to