28/11/2025
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฆ: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ โ๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐
๐๐โ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
The Grassroots Innovation and Circular Economy (GICE) Expo 2025, held during the 2025 National Science, Technology and Innovation Week (NSTW), brought together innovators, advocates, and community leaders to celebrate homegrown solutions shaped by lived experiences and indigenous knowledge. Hosted at the MMSUโBatac Campus, the expo highlighted how innovation thrives not only in laboratories but also in farms, coastal communities, workshops, and everyday community spaces.
Central to the expo was the recognition that grassroots innovationโtools, technologies, and systems built from local needsโoffers practical and sustainable responses to community challenges. These innovations often come from Indigenous Peoples, farmers, artisans, youth, small entrepreneurs, and underserved sectors. Through the Grassroots Innovation for Inclusive Development (GRIND) Program, the DOST strengthens support for these groups, positioning community ingenuity as a driver of resilience and inclusive growth. DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. emphasized that true innovation must be felt by businesses, communities, and everyday Filipinosโreflecting the spirit of Agham na Ramdam.
The expo featured 12 grassroots innovations, and 11 circular economy exhibits from across the country, showcasing indigenous technologies, sustainable livelihood tools, upcycled products, and community-designed systems addressing waste management, food security, energy access, and environmental protection. The most outstanding entries were later awarded as the Top 3 innovators in each category, highlighting the growing recognition of community-led solutions and their potential for wider adoption.
The DOSTโs ongoing mission to build a more inclusive, collaborative, and people-centered innovation ecosystem continues. By elevating community ingenuity, strengthening grassroots innovations, and promoting circular economy practices, the department reinforces its vision of progress that is shared, sustainable, and deeply felt across communitiesโempowering Filipinos to shape a smarter, more resilient future together.
