QCU and APCORE successfully co-organize virtual research conference
First RISE Conference focused on the synergy of research, innovation, and community engagement
The Quezon City University (QCU) in partnership with the Asia Pacific Consortium of Research Educators, Inc. (APCORE, Inc.) successfully conducted the first Research and Innovation for Sustainable Education (RISE) 2023 Virtual Conference held on March 2, 2023, via Zoom.
More than 200 educators, researchers, academic leaders, and students from different local and international institutions attended the online event in conjunction with the 29th founding anniversary of QCU.
With the theme, “Cultivating a Culture of Excellence through Research, Innovation, and Community Engagement,” RISE 2023 was organized to promote, strengthen, and mainstream research outputs of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country and other organizations in various fields of disciplines and to provide a venue for sharing and discussing relevant issues and concerns on research and innovation in a scholarly yet friendly environment.
Dr. Bradford Antonio C. Martinez, QCU Vice President for Academic Affairs, opened the activity by emphasizing the relevance of research in the academic and enabling people to discover new things and solve social problems.
Dr. Witawat Jangiam, APCORE’s Executive Director, also congratulated QCU for partnering with APCORE in organizing the virtual conference, which he believes helps diversify the supply of sustainable and quality research, innovation, and community engagement. He also urged the participants to strengthen their collaboration works with other higher education, research, and business organizations to facilitate the articulation of sustainable research and innovation.
Research and extension toward social progress and inclusive education
In his keynote message, Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera III, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), stressed the intertwining characteristic of research and extension towards improving the overall delivery of quality education in any educational institution.
“Research and extension are intimately intertwined. What you do in your extension work should be well documented to that it can be used in improving the teaching responsibilities of universities. What you’re doing in research should be converted into extension programs that help communities all over the country,” Dr. De Vera explained.
Meanwhile, Dr. Theresita Atienza, QCU President, and Dr. GyanMudra gave the plenary speeches in the morning session of the conference.
Dr. Atienza’s plenary talk focused on ways to develop a culture of innovation through research, the relationship of innovation with community engagement, and the challenges for HEIs to cope with and sustain innovation within their organizations. She called for the demystification of the research and development (R&D) process and iteratively develop and refine the innovations to meet the demands of the customers or clients.
“We have to have open innovation; we have to have a growth mindset; we have to deliberately practice, develop our skills and look at disruptive innovation. We have to demystify the process of R&D by having a clear path to new ideas that make innovation work,” Dr. Atienza explained.
Dr. GyanMudra, on the other hand, discussed the importance of inclusive community engagement for future-ready education, and that inclusive education should be a priority for HEIs across the globe.
“They [students] are supposed to understand that thereby all education has to be quite inclusive and it has to be a very civic participation related to employment and community life,” she mentioned.
Breakout Sessions held via Zoom
Ten breakout sessions were held in the afternoon where more than 70 papers were presented from local and international educational institutions. The breakout sessions focused on 1) basic, higher, and technical education (four sessions); 2) science, engineering, and technology (two sessions); 3) social science (two sessions); business, entrepreneurship, and finance (one session); and 4) combined community engagement and science, engineering, and technology (one session).
After the breakout sessions, ten research papers were awarded as the Best Research Papers as judged by the members of the RISE 2023 Scientific Committee.
In his closing message, Mr. Angelito P. Bautista Jr., Acting Director of the Research Management Office, thanked the participants for sharing their research output during the conference. He also encouraged the participants to continue producing quality research and engage each other to achieve social progress and development for their respective institutions and the communities they serve.
Participants of the virtual conference included researchers, students, and educators from QCU, Universidad de Manila, Marikina Polytechnic College, Cavite State University, University of Sto. Tomas, Palawan State University, University of Baguio, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Camiguin Polytechnic State University, Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University, Philippine State College of Aeronautics, Tarlac State University, University of Perpetual Help – Dalta, Our Lady of Fatima University-Cabanatuan, Republican College, Wesleyan University, Talavera National High School, and Las Pinas National High School-Almanza.
