The Department of Science and Technology-Cordillera Regional Office (DOST-CAR) has strengthened its partnership with local government units through the implementation of its new Science and Technology for the Advancement of Municipalities (Steam) program.

The Steam program, a brainchild of Dr. Julius Caesar Sicat, DOST-CAR regional director, aims to technically equip identified municipal science and technology (S&T) coordinators or Municipal Planning and Development Officers from all the municipalities in the region for effective project identification, project proposal preparation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

Steam was launched in Bontoc, Mountain Province in December through an orientation-seminar on development project identification and project proposal workshop.

This was designed to establish a network of trained and high performing local S&T coordinators in every municipality to ensure the effective collaboration between government units, line agencies and other stakeholders in development project planning and implementation.

Other invited resource speakers during the two-day activity who presented their respective programs were Juliet Lucas of the Department of Trade and Industry, Joel Fagsao from the business sector and Keith Jimson of the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College.

At the second day of the activity, the participants prepared and presented project proposals for evaluation, funding and implementation for 2013.

Sicat encouraged the designated municipal S&T coordinators in the province to continuously submit proposals, particularly under the DOST’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading program, which can provide assistance to small and medium enterprises through technology transfer, technical training, access to capital and markets, product packaging, labeling improvement, among others.

To facilitate coordination for other forthcoming activities, the group elected Engr. Pablito Ing-inga of Bontoc as president, who shall act as the main point person for coordination activities with DOST-CAR in terms of the identification of needed capability building training and seminars.