By Karren Jay G. Asgar
Ligaya V. Caniel, URC Staff, represented Central Philippine University at the 2025 ITSO Presidents’ Summit in Manila on April 10, gaining valuable insights to enhance intellectual property management and innovation advocacy.
On April 10, 2025, the University Research Center (URC) Staff, Ms. Ligaya Villarias-Caniel, attended the 2025 Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) Presidents’ Summit and General Assembly at the Sequoia Hotel in Manila. Organized by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) under the theme “Empowering ITSOs Towards Global Recognition of Innovation Breakthroughs,” the summit brought together representatives from higher education institutions (HEIs) and research and development institutes (RDIs) nationwide to celebrate and advance intellectual property (IP) management.
The event served as a dynamic platform for sharing best practices in IP creation, protection, and commercialization. A key highlight of the event was the recognition of top-performing ITSOs, including the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Ateneo de Manila University, and University of the Philippines Manila, for their excellence in technology transfer and commercialization. The summit also introduced the ITSO 2.0 clustering framework, categorizing ITSOs into Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels to encourage higher IP performance standards.
From the event, Caniel gained valuable insights, including the critical need to protect innovations through IP mechanisms to maximize commercial value and the benefits of collaboration between ITSOs, researchers, and industry partners. She recognized the value of regular training in IP basics and the motivating impact of the ITSO 2.0 framework on institutional improvement.
Looking ahead, Caniel intends to advocate for intensified IP awareness campaigns, stronger collaboration between ITSO and faculty, and institutional incentives for innovation. She also supports integrating IP education into academic curricula and streamlining IP policies to facilitate patent filing and fair revenue sharing. Reflecting on the summit, she noted, “The 2025 ITSO Presidents’ Summit not only celebrated achievements but also provided a roadmap to foster a culture of innovation, empowering our faculty to contribute to our university’s intellectual capital and societal impact.”