Mindanao innovators shine at 2025 ClusteRICE, advance to NICE 2026
Mindanao’s top innovators stepped into the spotlight during the 2025 ClusteRICE Mindanao leg, held from October 7 to 8 at the Philippine Science High School – Central Mindanao Campus in Lanao del Norte.
The two-day competition gathered inventors, researchers, and students from across the region. Their work covered agriculture, engineering, health, and technology, highlighting the region’s growing role in local innovation.
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Mindanao’s best secure national slots
Several standout projects earned the right to represent Mindanao at the 2026 National Invention Contest and Exhibits (NICE).
Winners include the Mechanical Coconut Climber, which won the Tuklas Award for Outstanding Invention, and A Device for Car Charging and Battery Monitoring System, which topped the Unlad Award for Outstanding Utility Model.
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Other notable entries are Zappify: IoT-Based Insect Pests Management System for Rice Fields under the Likha Award (government-funded) and the Fecal Smear Kit Pack under the Likha Award (private-funded).
Student researchers also made their mark. A college team developed the Automatic Rice Seed Varietal Purity Testing Machine Using AI and Automation, while a high school group won with their study on Hibiscus sabdariffa, which explored the plant’s ethnopharmaceutical potential.
ClusteRICE highlights local innovation
ClusteRICE 2025 serves as a key platform for DOST-TAPI to promote innovation across the country. Winners at NICE 2026 will compete against the best from other regions and may receive support for product development, commercialization, and IP protection.
The Mindanao leg is part of a nationwide series of competitions. The North Luzon Cluster will close the ClusteRICE 2025 circuit on October 14–15.
The program is anchored on Republic Act 7459, or the Inventors and Invention Incentives Act of the Philippines, and implemented through DOST-TAPI’s Technology Information and Promotion Division.
