DOST launches new tech testing and validation initiative

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) officially launched the Philippine Technology and Standards for Testing (PHITEST) on May 5, 2025 in a press conference conducted within the DOST Complex.

DOST, in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) designed PHITEST as a free solution allowing students and Filipino inventors to gain access to industry-standard laboratory testing, expert evaluations, and product validations.

Filipino-made technology to global scale

Before PHITEST, products or new technology would be sent abroad for further testing. This required time, funding, and resources that would not be easily available to acquire. 

Beyond that, mass production and marketability for global export poses another challenge. 

The roadmap for a successful innovative product was then difficult to navigate.

“This is a very important activity which reflects a simple but critical reality,” said DOST Secretary, Dr. Renato Solidum Jr. “Filipino ingenuity is not a problem to solve. The challenge lies in how we move our innovation from the laboratory to the marketplace, from prototypes to industries.”

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PHITEST acts as a way to help Filipino innovators and future entrepreneurs know where they can improve and scale, besides just testing their products.

The initiative will focus on six clusters: Semiconductors and Electronics, Biopharma and Health Technologies, Agri-Aqua Technologies, Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles and Aviation, and Climate Change & Resilience. 

In partnership as well with other government bodies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade & Industry, these six strategic clusters were determined by their global marketability. 

“We have brilliant Filipino scientists, engineers, and technologies, but brilliance in the lab is not necessarily translated into success in the market,” said Dr. Napoleon Juanillo Jr., DOST Assistant Secretary for Technology Transfer, Communications, and Commercialization.

DOST has projected a $5.8 trillion growth through the six strategic clusters with PHITEST.

How PHITEST works

Partnered universities or institutions can assist students or innovators apply to test their products through PHITEST for free.

The process of testing is according to the requirements of the product and its needed tools or experts. If the test scores high, verified, and ready for scaling, DOST’s PROPEL Hub will assist in matching with potential investors. 

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“PHITEST is not a fail-pass scale,” explained Juanillo “The results are indicative of items you have to improve on. This is a knowledge environment.”

A pilot center for PHITEST will be developed within its first year, as DOST eyes for 20 operational centers in the next five years.