Strengthening research commercialisation in the Philippines

The Philippines has a vibrant public research base, but translating research into real-world impact remains a challenge. One key barrier identified by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was the lack of harmonised, practical tools to assess whether publicly funded research is ready for the market, and how it should be valued as part of the commercialisation process.

Without shared frameworks and consistent approaches, technology transfer decisions risk being inefficient, subjective, or unevenly applied across institutions and regions. DOST and the British Council therefore sought expert support to help standardise technology transfer and commercialisation practices nationally, building on an earlier technology transfer policy framework. 

Approach 

Oxentia was commissioned to support the implementation phase of the national technology transfer policy by developing two practical toolkits that could be used consistently across the innovation ecosystem.

Working closely with the British Council Philippines, DOST and DOSTTAPI, Oxentia delivered:

• A Market Readiness Level (MRL) Toolkit, designed to help stakeholders assess how close an innovation is to market deployment and scale. The tool evaluates readiness across multiple dimensions — not just technology maturity — including intellectual property, business model, team capability, stakeholders and potential impact.

• A Technology Valuation Toolkit, providing guidance on how to select appropriate valuation methods at different stages of development, supported by worked examples and practical guidance.

To ensure the tools were usable in practice, Oxentia designed both toolkits as clear, decision support frameworks, supported by detailed guidance manuals. These were developed with international best practice in mind, while being tailored to the Philippine research and innovation context.

Oxentia also delivered a two-day national capacity building programme in Manila, co-hosted with the British Council and DOST. The workshops brought together over 80 participants from across government, universities, research institutes, technology transfer offices, industry and investment communities. Sessions combined handson training with structured consultation, allowing participants to test the tools, provide feedback, and explore how they could be embedded into existing processes. 

Impact 

The SINAG project has laid strong foundations for a more coherent, transparent and effective research commercialisation ecosystem in the Philippines.

Key outcomes include:

• Nationally deployable MRL and valuation toolkits aligned with international standards and adapted to local needs 

• Increased capability within DOST, DOSTTAPI and technology transfer offices to assess market readiness, commercial potential and investment risk 

• Greater consistency and objectivity in decision making across the lab-to-market pathway 

• Strong engagement across the ecosystem, with representation from research, policy, industry and investment stakeholders 

• Support for a more inclusive innovation system through deliberate integration of equality, diversity and inclusion principles in both toolkit design and delivery 

Together, these outputs strengthen the Philippines’ ability to convert public research into socioeconomic value, while also reinforcing the UK–Philippines science and innovation partnership and supporting long term, innovation led growth.