Edu-Connect, Taiwanese Investors Explore Business Prospects and Academic Partnerships with UP
From July 16 to 20, 2023, Edu-Connect Southeast Asia members and Taiwanese investors engaged in an exposure trip to explore industry-city-university-entrepreneur (ICUE) opportunities with the University of the Philippines (UP).
The delegation included Kathy Tu, Liu Tu, Anthony Hsie, Kid Hsie, and Amy Hsie. Dr. Ei Ming Wu, current Visiting Professor at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) and Chair Professor of Shu-Te University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, guided them during the tour and partnership meetings. They were also assisted by UP ISSI’s extension specialists Nova Navo and Danica Pacardo.
During the first few days of the trip, they visited Ongpin Street in Binondo, Manila, Area 2 of UP Diliman, Gyudfood, and three major malls in Quezon City to have a glimpse of the existing small and medium food and non-food enterprises in the National Capital Region (NCR).
On July 18, 2023, they met with Ma. Margarita Santos, Head of Quezon City’s Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD), and learned about the office’s various programs which automate processing of business operations requirements. They also had a brief visit in QC’s Negosyo Center. In the afternoon, the delegates joined a tour on the construction site of the University Shopping Center to determine possible business investments in the commercial area.
The following day, Engr. Rolando Ramon Diaz, UP ISSI Training and Entrepreneurship Education Division Head, oriented them on the status of Philippine MSMEs. They also discussed possible collaborative projects with the Institute.
On July 20, the delegation attended an exploratory meeting with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB). SEARCA and UPLB representatives presented the results of their research on livestock and provided tours of the SEARCA’s agriculture museum and the laboratories of the Institute of Animal Science.
The weeklong tour enabled the delegation to become aware of the nature of businesses within UP and to identify prospective entrepreneurial opportunities in the university.