The OVCRD Report (May 2011-April 2014).2.10.14 | Page 43

The OVCRD Report

As another technology transfer initiative, 
the OVCRD is collaborating with technology
transfer specialists who could provide
assistance to the University and its constituents
regarding the deployment/commercialization
of inventions, technologies, and creations. One
important activity implemented along this line
is the Roundtable Discussion between UP
Diliman’s inventors and creators, and
Dr. Gonzalo “Al” C. Serafica, one of the most
sought-after consultants for technology
commercialization in various universities and
institutions, himself a veteran of invention,
patenting and commercialization. The event,
which was held on 25 March 2014, became a
venue for inventors and creators from different
fields of science and the arts, both faculty
members and students alike, to present their
IPs to the group and gain insights on
commercialization from Dr. Serafica.
Dr. Serafica, who is currently on an extended
stay in the Philippines to help scientists and
engineers in commercializing their
technologies and expanding their intellectual
property, stressed during the discussion that IP
commercialization will take time, and that the
key to successfully transferring one’s IP to the
commercial sector is finding the right partners.
The inventors and creators who have ventured
into IP commercialization or deployment also
shared with the group their experiences and
‘lessons learned’.
Speaking about technology transfer,
Vice-Chancellor Pacheco explains,
“Dissemination naman sa ibang paraan din
ang ating ginagawa para sa mga imbensyon.
Maaari itong deployment na pampubliko o
pang-gobyerno. Maaari ring commercialization
depende sa misyon at posisyon ng ating
Unibersidad. We in UP can make inventors
meet investors.” The OVCRD is always on hand

to assist inventors and creators for the
successful commercialization or deployment of
their technologies. Two recent examples of
such assistance are evident in the launching of
the facility for the commercialization of the
CoaTiN® (Titanium Nitride
Film
Formation on Metal Substrate by Chemical
Vapor Deposition in a Magnetized Sheet
Plasma) technology invented by Dr. Henry J.
Ramos, and in the deployment of the ready-toeat rice and noodles invented by Dr. Maria
Patricia V. Azanza. (See sidebar on
for details about these two inventions.)
The efforts of the OVCRD regarding
technology transfer, and IP protection in
general, have been further strengthened by its
designation as Innovation and Technology
Support Office (ITSO), a collaboration with
the Intellectual Property Office of the
Philippines (IPOPHL). As ITSO, UP Diliman
through the OVCRD joins the network of
universities and research institutions given
capacity-building support in patent
prosecution by the IPOPHL and the World
Intellectual Property Office (WIPO).
(See related discussion on the ITSO in the
next section about Expansion.)