SMEs benefit from gov’t technology upgrading program

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – Small and medium enterprises continue to benefit from a technology assistance program launched by the government two years ago.

The Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) was launched in mid-2002 by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) specifically in response to President Arroyo’s call for the need to focus government assistance to the country’s SMEs, which are considered the country’s "engine for job creation and wealth distribution."

A brainchild of DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro, SETUP enables SMEs to address their technical problems through technology transfer and technological interventions to improve productivity through better product quality, human resources development, cost minimization and waste management, and other operation-related activities.

Last year, 781 SMEs (151 of them new firms) availed themsleves of SETUP assistance, resulting in 38 percent average increase in their production, 28 percent average increase in their gross revenues, and creation of 3,779 new jobs.

Moreover, reported Dr. Alabastro at an Asian conference on "Information Technology in Agricultural Extension" now going on (until June 4) here, 35 SMEs have developed capacity and confidence to export products in the international markets, among them the United States, Italy, Norway, France, Germany, China, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Hawaii.

Encouragingly, the Cabinet official noted in a speech read for her by DOST assistant secretary Dr. Carol Yorobe, DOST-assisted SMEs in Metro Manila gave the Department a 100 percent satisfaction rating while those in the countryside presented an overall 80 percent satisfaction rating, as reflected by results of a survey done by the United Nations-International Labor Organization (UN-ILO).

FFTC was established in 1970 in response to the then severe shortages of food and fertilizer in the Asia-Pacific retgion. Today, it is addressing the need for Asian agriculture to become more productive, resilient, environment-friendly, and equitable.

Alabastro said that SETUP is one of the three S&T banner program of the government. The two others are Technology Incubation for Commercialization (TECHNICOM) and Technology Support for E-Governance (SUPRE-GOV).

Through SETUP, all technology transfer efforts of DOST agencies are being focused on enhancing the productivity of SMEs initially in six identified priority sectors, namely: food processing; furniture; fashion accessories, gifts-toys-houseware; marine and aquatic resources; horticulture; and metals and engineering.

DOST, through its grants-in-aid program, has provided P43.7 million funding support, largely as seed funds for technology acquisition.

Dr. Alabastro further said that TECHNICOM was launched as a unified and comprehensive strategy to enhance technology development for commercialization and to fast-track the transfer and commercialization of promising R&D results of government R&D institutes, the academe, and the private sector.

SUPRE-GOV was designed to provide technology support to jumpstart e-governance in the country in line with the overall plan for information and communications technology (ICT).

"This program supports the national efforts to speed up the appreciation of ICT in government processes and services; the establishment and enhancement of the government portal; the development, organization, and standardization of databases; and development and utilization of information systems for priority local government applications," Dr. Alabastro stated.

As an overall strategy, linkages between the academe, the private sector, the government units for collaborative undertaking toward the widespread use of ICT in government is being pursued, she concluded.