MANILA, Jan. 5 – College faculty and staff will soon be able to design an indoor light-powered device with a 24-hour digital monitoring system that could automatically alert fire stations of smoke and fire hazards.
Another initiative will develop special livestock feeds for the processing of organic meat and eggs. These are among the 76 research proposals that will be funded by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through the Discovery-Applied Research and Extension for Trans/Inter-disciplinary Opportunities (DARE TO) Research Grants program. Each project will receive financial support of up to Php15M for a duration of two years.
Of the 76 approved proposals, 41 came from Luzon, 10 from Visayas, and 25 from Mindanao. A total of 229 proposals received from different regions across the Philippines underwent multiple and rigorous rounds of screening.
According to CHED Research Management Division Chief Custer Deocaris, the DARE TO grants aim to deliver outstanding and innovative research work while stimulating strong collaborative research among higher education institutions (HEIs).
“The goal of the grant is to seek out truly groundbreaking and inspiring research. Most of the faculty we have in universities are very talented, and we want to dare them to take that leap,” said Deocaris.
CHED Chairperson Patricia B. Licuanan also noted that HEI faculty—who have either been deloaded or displaced due to the full implementation of the K to 12 Program this year—will conduct all of the approved research.
“The DARE TO Grants program is part of CHED’s initiatives to assist our faculty and staff who were adversely affected by the ongoing K to 12 transition. At the same time, we are investing strategically in bold, innovative trans-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary research that can solve current socio-economic challenges and produce sustainable solutions,” said Licuanan.
Awarded research proposals will be developed around a combination of multiple subject areas and fields of inquiry. In addition, project teams will also be composed of faculty who represent at least two different HEIs for better collaboration between research institutions.
Aside from the two research projects mentioned, other awarded initiatives will focus on health systems, environment, terrestrial and marine economy, climate change and energy, economy, biodiversity and conservation, smart analytics and engineering innovations, and education for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Music (STEAM).
For the complete list of approved research proposals, awarded HEIs, and more information about the DARE TO Research Grants, you may visit https://chedk12.wordpress.com/ dareto/ The K to 12 Transition Program The K to 12 Transition Program is a five-year effort aimed at the strategic development of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and personnel during the transition period from 2016 to 2021.
The Program includes a range of programs to support faculty and staff through scholarships for master’s and doctoral programs, locally and abroad, non-degree programs, as well as institutional grants for HEIs. (CHED-PIA)
