CSU Researchers Share a Hand-Holding Journey with Bangsamoro SUCs on Research CapDev

Caraga State University (CSU) is among the five (5) State Universities in Mindanao classified as SUC Level 4 in the latest SUC Leveling released in 2018. It has a fascinating experience in leapfrogging from SUC Level 2 to Level 4 due to its improved competencies in research that fueled its increased research productivity aside from its top performance in teaching. This experience resulting from its adoption of an institutional-level sustainable professional development model can be shared to HEIs in BARMM. The program on enhancing research competencies of HEIs in BARMM using the same model is seen to redefine the quality of HEIs in BARMM.

The hand-holding journey between CSU and three (3) SUCs in BARMM, namely: Cotabato State University (CotSU), Basilan State College (BaSC), and Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College (TRAC) started in April 2021 through virtual meetings and workshops. On March 18-24, 2022, CSU Researchers visited Tawi-Tawi and Basilan to conduct research planning-workshops with partners and to start the actual research and innovation implementation. The research topics that the CSU Research Team and their counterparts in TRAC and BaSC cover agriculture and rural development, natural resource management, microplastic studies, conflict management, IKS for climate change mitigation/adaptation, geological survey and mapping of water sources, innovative teaching-learning approaches, and supply chain of agri-fishery products. The engagement expects to produce outputs covering the 6 Ps and 2Is of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST): Product, Publication, Patent, People, Places, Policy, and the Social and Environmental Impacts.

Caraga State University (CSU) is among the top state universities in Mindanao tapped by the CHED-HECBOL to work with the higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for capability enhancement. Being a young university that has slowly excelled in research and innovation, CHED-HECBOL funded CSU to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education in BARMM through its project entitled “Project RESEARCH Bangsamoro”. The Project RESEARCH Bangsamoro stands for Retooling towards Enhancing the Sustainability and Elevating the Academic Research Culture of HEIs in Bangsamoro.

BARMM has vast natural resources waiting to be tapped for socioeconomic development. With enhanced research capabilities of the HEIs, more opportunities for development through research and innovation can bolster the region’s socioeconomic progress. The same goes with improved teaching of research competencies among students, since innovative teaching-learning strategies can also propel academia-industry partnerships. The enhanced competency of BARMM HEIs is expected to bring in scholarship/fellowship grants for both the faculty and students, research grants from funding institutions (both public and private), more linkages with industries and other facilitators of development, and more research and innovation outputs which can propel the HEIs and their partner communities and industries to greater heights. RPV/OVPRIE/pico