CATBALOGAN CITY—Samar State University through its Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) was awarded with a Certificate of Recognition by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) on February 24 (21) for drafting and filing seven (7) invention patents (IPs) and successfully commercializing the utility model (UM)—Coco Wine with Honey—despite the Covid-19 onset. The UM was licensed with fixed royalty rates in the year 2020.
Commercialization of IP is a requirement for a Platinum Cluster under the ITSO 2.0 program, an assessment of outcomes of the clustering scheme against an individual ITSO’s objectives, by IPOPHIL.
The Platinum Cluster is the highest of the clustering scheme. It will only be given if an ITSO has complied with the requirements for Bronze, Silver, and Gold Clusters, filed at least seven (7) invention patent applications in a year, successfully commercialized in a year at least one (1) technology (including copyright or trademark), and provided assistance in the successful commercialization of at least one (1) technology (including copyright or trademark) through licensing and other modes of commercialization including establishment of a start-up company.
Dr. Edelyn O. Echapare, one of the start-up founders of the Coco Wine with Honey, feels motivated and appreciative of the award. “Thank you SSU-ITSO; Thank you TBI-LAMBAT (Technology Business Incubator-Local Alliance of Marine-Based Business and Food Technology); and Thank you IPOPHIL,” she said in a statement.
SSU’s ITSO manager, Dr. Vivian L. Moya, added saying, “All efforts and sleepless nights paid off.”
SSU is the only ITSO university in the Visayas and one of the only three ITSO universities, with Caraga State University and Central Mindanao University, all over the country that was given this award.
With this recognition, SSU-ITSO qualifies under the Platinum Cluster. While the ITSO 2.0 program is yet temporarily lifted, the University will, meantime, continue innovating, building, and serving.