ANTIPOLO CITY, Rizal – The Department of Science and Technology – CALABARZON (DOST-CALABARZON) formally opened the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) 2025 on August 14 on the Ynares Events Center, Antipolo City, with the theme “Building Smart and Sustainable Communities.” The three-day celebration, which runs till August 16, showcases how science, expertise, and innovation (STI) can drive inclusive improvement and strengthen neighborhood resilience within the area and past.
In her welcome message, DOST-CALABARZON Regional Director Emelita T. Bagsit underscored the significance of collective motion, saying, “This is a call not only to dream of a better future but to roll up our sleeves and build it together.”
Antipolo City Vice Mayor Ranady Puno highlighted the position of STI in addressing urgent challenges corresponding to local weather change and environmental safety, affirming the town’s dedication to collaborate with the science neighborhood in creating significant and responsive options.
DOST Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. expressed gratitude to DOST-CALABARZON, the City Government of Antipolo, and the Provincial Government of Rizal for his or her help in advancing STI within the area. He emphasised {that a} good metropolis is outlined not merely by expertise however by the way it listens and responds to its individuals. He additionally reminded that sustainability begins with small however significant actions, corresponding to a baby studying to develop meals in a recycled bottle. “Whatever we do—in governance, education, business, or science—we should lead with purpose, grounded in what our communities really need,” he mentioned.
A spotlight of the opening program was the launch of the 56th Innovation Hub (iHub) within the nation on the University of Rizal System (URS) – Antipolo Campus. Established by means of DOST-CALABARZON, the iHub goals to change into a middle for creativity, business collaboration, and analysis within the province. Alongside this, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed for the Regional Design and Creativity Hub for Innovation in MSMEs and Education (RDCHIME), which is able to provide coaching and prototyping alternatives in animation, 3D modeling, product packaging, industrial processes, automation, and digital arts. The hub is envisioned to bridge business wants with tutorial experience, positioning PSTO Rizal as a key driver of innovation within the area.
Another milestone was the launch of the nineteenth Twenty first Century Learning Environment Model (Twenty first CLEM) on the Antipolo City National Science and Technology High School, in partnership with the Department of Education and the Antipolo LGU. The facility is a future-ready classroom geared up with robotics, 3D printing, augmented/digital actuality, and DOST-developed digital courseware—designed to reinforce STEM training and foster vital Twenty first-century abilities amongst college students.
Through reveals, fora, and interactive actions, this 12 months’s RSTW serves as a platform for collaboration amongst authorities, academe, business, and communities. It highlights that constructing good and sustainable communities shouldn’t be solely a imaginative and prescient however an achievable actuality when anchored on science, expertise, and innovation.