CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Department of Science and Technology–Central Visayas (DOST–CV) launched the Central Visayas Regional Innovation Hub (iHub) and the Central Visayas Smart AgriTech Hub (Project SARAI CeNTRO) in Cebu City on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
The two innovation facilities follow the previous launch of the Cebu Innovation Hub and Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCen) back in April 2025 as the DOST-CV continues to expand its innovation infrastructure.
The Central Visayas Regional iHub supports startups, researchers, and industry partners through various programs and serves as a collaborative space for artificial intelligence and smart technology innovation.
Meanwhile, the Smart AgriTech Hub aims to help farmers manage their crops through science-based, climate-smart technologies.
Present during the launching ceremony were DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Sancho Mabborang, DOST 7 Regional Director Dr. Tristan Abando, DOST Cebu Provincial Science and Technology Director Bryan Ybañez, other local government representatives, and other industry stakeholders.
“It is really our vision to make this not only an innovation complex here in Sudlon, Lahug, Cebu City, but to make it an innovation corridor,” Abando shared as the DOST Central Visayas Regional Office now has three innovation-focused centers.
“That is the dream. That is the imagination, and it is being done already,” he continued.
Smart Agritech and Innovation Hubs
The Smart AgriTech Hub operates under Project SARAI (Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry), a national initiative implemented by DOST in partnership with the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Key technologies farmers and LGUs can expect from the Smart Agritech Hub include the following:
- Water Advisory for Irrigation Scheduling System
- Community-Level Enhanced Agricultural Monitoring System
- SmART Pest Identification Technology, which identifies a critter if it’s a potential pest or not with a snap of a photo.
- Digital platforms featuring real-time crop advisories and weather forecasts.
At the moment, the Smart AgriTech Hub supports nine crops (rice, corn, banana, coconut, coffee, cacao, sugarcane, tomato, and soybean), but DOST plans to expand it to aquaculture products such as farmed fish and crustaceans.
Meanwhile, the Central Visayas Regional iHub aims to bolster the startup and innovation ecosystem of the region. This hub is focused on the development and innovation of smart technologies, artificial intelligence, and other emerging and future industries.
With these two hubs, DOST Central Visayas hopes to foster stronger collaboration among regional stakeholders and enhance competitiveness in agriculture and other emerging industries, including artificial intelligence (AI).