PHL EMBASSY AND PIKO SUCCESSFULLY HOLD 2024 SIYENTIPIKO RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM, STRENGTHENING PHILIPPINES-KOREA RELATIONS THROUGH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Held both online and offline, the event attracted the participation of over 180 attendees, including 70 online participants and 110 offline participants. Themed "Paghahabi ng Kaalaman at Karunungan: Weaving the Fabric of Philippines-Korea Relations through Research, Development, and Innovation," this year's Colloquium highlighted the strong relationship between the Philippines and South Korea, especially in the fields of research, development, and innovation.

In her welcome remarks, Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega emphasized the vital role of research in shaping policies and strengthening the Philippines-South Korea partnership. She noted that research drives innovation and informs strategic decision-making on key issues such as technology, education, sustainability, S and T, trade, infrastructure, AI, agriculture, the creative industries, and labor migration. The Ambassador encouraged PIKo and its participants to share their findings with the Philippine Embassy, as these insights could be valuable for government initiatives. Looking ahead, the Ambassador expressed the Embassy's commitment to continue supporting Filipino students, academics, and researchers in South Korea and leveraging their work in fostering international cooperation and promoting knowledge exchange.

The Colloquium accepted research proposals and published works by Filipino students in South Korea under three thematic areas: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS); and Business, Entrepreneurship, and Mathematics (BEAM).

A panel of judges, composed of professors from AFEK, selected the best research from each thematic area. The selected studies were Ms. Catherine Joy Escuadra, Ph.D. in Education, Ewha Womans University, and her study entitled "Outcomes Insights: A Learning Analytics Dashboard for Entry-Level Physical Therapy Learning Outcomes in a University in the Philippines" under HASS; Mr. Joseph Rei Mark Co, Masters in Economic Development Policy (Major in Sustainable and Inclusive Growth), KDI School of Public Policy and Management, and his study entitled "Public-Private Partnership for Highway Infrastructure Development in the Philippines" under BEAM; and Mr. Robie Vasquez, MS-PhD Animal Biotechnology, Dankook University, and his study entitled "Oral Immunization with non-GMO surface displayed SARS-CoV-2 spike epitopes on bacteria-like particles provokes robust humoral and cellular immune responses, and modulated the gut microbiome in mice" under STEM.

The event also featured two distinguished plenary speakers, Dr. Cynthia P. Pantinople of Daegu University who spoke on "Engineering the Future Towards Global Excellence through Educational Partnerships between the Philippines and South Korea;" and Dr. Joeffrey Calimag of Kyungsung University, who presented his study on "Population and Economy: The Case of South Korea and the Philippines."

The Philippine Embassy expresses its appreciation to PIKo, the co-organizers, and participants for making the 2024 SiyentiPIKO Research Colloquium a success. The Embassy looks forward to future collaborations with PIKo and eagerly anticipates next year's colloquium, fostering further innovation and strengthening Philippines-South Korea academic engagement. END