The University of the Philippines Visayas forged a partnership with the Iloilo Provincial Government through the Provincial Planning and Development Office on 15 August 2024 at Casa Real, Iloilo City to strengthen research and cooperation towards achieving the development goals of the province.

UP Visayas was represented by Prof. Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap, Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension, with Dr. Johannes Magpusao, Dr. Jihan Santanina Alumbro, and Mr. Janreich Miramon from the School of Technology, and Dr. Iris Ann Borlongan from the Institute of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

MOAs were signed for two collaborative projects focusing on sustainable food systems and mass production of seaweeds.

Dr. Magpusao of SOTECH serves as the project leader of the project titled, “Project PAMANA: Profiling and Microbial Assessment of Native Delicacies for Sustainable Food System Strategies in Iloilo”, while Dr. Borlongan of CFOS-IA spearheads the project on the “Development and Demonstration of Sea-Based Nursery System for Tissue-Cultured Seaweeds for Mass Production.”

UP Visayas continues to pursue linkages with public and private institutions to accelerate the translation of academic research into viable technologies that can benefit various stakeholders in the community.

By: Reyna Fe N. Quilantang, OVCRE (with sources from: Dr. Iris Ann Borlongan)