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DOST-CPU CPUGAD TBI showcases startups and served as ignition session partner at HIC 2025 Iloilo Forum

by | Sep 19, 2025 | Centralian Link

By CPUGAD TBI


DOST-CPU CPUGAD TBI, in partnership with RenDewTech, proudly showcased startups and co-hosted the Ignition Session at HIC 2025 Iloilo Forum, empowering innovators to co-create sustainable solutions for food, culture, and tourism in Western Visayas.

The Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference (HIC) 2025 Iloilo Forum by Leave a Nest successfully brought together researchers, innovators, and changemakers on September 12, 2025, at Iloilo Science and Technology University. With the theme “Knowledge Manufacturing: The Intersection of Research Horizons in Visayas,” the forum served as a platform to co-create solutions across marine, agriculture, natural resources, gastronomy, and medicine — the core strengths of Iloilo.

As Dr. Yevgeny Aster Dulla, Managing Director of Leave a Nest Philippines, remarked:

“This hyper interdisciplinary conference is for everyone to communicate, collaborate, and learn with each other, and create solutions for Iloilo, Visayas, and the world.”

The day kicked off with an engaging Panel Session, where experts shared insights and sparked conversations on interdisciplinary collaboration. Panel discussions continued throughout the forum, providing spaces for dialogue, exchange of ideas, and deeper exploration of local and global challenges.

In between sessions, the Research Splash presentations featured three CPU CPUGAD TBI startups proudly showcasing their innovations:

  • HEX Technology with Maverick Rico, presenting GROWT, an IoT-powered platform for smarter and sustainable greenhouses.
  • PharmaPack by PackUp with Dominique Villoga, showcasing sustainable pharmaceutical packaging solutions.
  • Dappli with Jesse Jot Auman, introducing a recipe-generating mobile app for smart and culturally relevant food recommendations.

The forum then moved to the highlight — the Ignition Session, co-hosted by DOST-Central Philippine University CPUGAD Technology Business Incubator and its innovation-driven enterprise RenDewTech owned by CEO Renjo Debil, as official Ignition Session partners of Leave a Nest Philippines. For this session, DOST-CPU CPUGAD TBI and RenDewTech proudly introduced the theme: “Sustainable Gastronomy: Technology for Food, Culture, and Tourism in Western Visayas.”

The Ignition Session is a signature activity of the Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference (HIC) Forum 2025 by Leave a Nest— a workshop-hackathon style challenge where innovators team up to co-create impactful, interdisciplinary solutions.

Under this banner, three finalist teams pitched their innovative solutions: FoodSculpt, Arkilahan, and Taste Iloilo, composed of students and innovators from the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP – Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao), West Visayas State University (WVSU), University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), University of St. La Salle Bacolod, and Central Philippine University (CPU).

Emerging as the winner was Taste Iloilo from the Central Philippine University College of Business and Accountancy, whose proposed solution best embodied the theme’s goals. The team received the CPUGAD TBI Award — one year of FREE incubation support — along with the RenDewTech Award, which included ₱5,000 cash, free consultation, and partnership opportunities to further develop their innovation.

The deliberators for CPUGAD TBI’s theme were Dr. Aries Roda D. Romallosa, CPUGAD TBI Policy Development & Implementation Unit Head and CPU Acting VP for Research, Development, and Extension, Dr. Evelyn Grace Ayson, CPU University Research Center (URC) Director, Ms. Ligaya Caniel, URC Staff and ITSO Focal Person, and Mr. Renjo Debil, CEO of RenDewTech.

DOST-CPU CPUGAD TBI extends its gratitude to Leave a Nest Philippines for bringing this milestone event to Iloilo and for the opportunity to serve as a proud session partner. Together with RenDewTech, we continue to nest ideas, incubate success, and ignite innovation for a sustainable future.