17/04/2026
***PhilRice Earns IPOPHL Platinum Award at 2026 ITSO Presidents’ Summit***
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has been conferred the Platinum Award by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) during the 2026 Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) Presidents’ Summit and General Assembly on March 25 and 26 held in Iloilo City.
The ITSO Presidents’ Summit is an annual gathering of institutional leaders and innovation stakeholders across the country, recognizing top-performing institutions in intellectual property (IP) generation, protection, and utilization. As the highest distinction under IPOPHL’s ITSO 2.0 Clustering System, the Platinum Award recognizes institutions with advanced capabilities in IP creation and commercialization, evidenced by substantial patent activity and tangible technology transfer outcomes.
This recognition affirms PhilRice’s continued progress in ensuring that research and development outputs are not only protected but translated into applications that benefit stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
The achievement reflects the Institute’s strengthened commercialization ecosystem under its Business Development Division (BDD), which integrates technology promotion, stakeholder engagement, and intellectual property support functions. Supporting these efforts is the Institute’s Intellectual Property Management Office (IPMO), also under BDD, which focuses on intellectual property protection, including patent filing, maintenance and monitoring of the Institute’s IP inventory, and compliance.
Led by Atty. Jerry C. Serapion, the IPMO likewise plays a key role in the formalization of technology transfer arrangements through the drafting of licensing agreements, ensuring that partnerships are structured in accordance with institutional and regulatory requirements. Complementing this, technology promotion and stakeholder engagement are undertaken through the Institute’s commercialization mechanisms, facilitating the connection of developed technologies with potential partners for adoption and utilization.
As part of IPOPHL’s national ITSO network, PhilRice contributes to a broader innovation ecosystem that supports inventors and institutions through intellectual property protection and technology transfer initiatives.
The Platinum recognition underscores the Institute’s commitment to ensuring that publicly funded research generates tangible economic and societal value. As the innovation landscape continues to evolve, the institution’s latest recognition signals not just past achievements, but a continuing push toward meaningful, real-world applications of research.
