Cebu Business Month 2019 to take innovation, technology to another level

The Cebu Business Month 2019 (CBM 2019) committee led by Lilu Aliño, CBM 2019 chairperson (second from left), visits the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Aliño, who was accompanied by Regan King, CBM 2019 Ways and Means Chairperson (3rd from left), and Christian Paro-an, CBM advisor (right), met Brenda Nazareth Manzano, DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations (left),  during the visit. | CBM photo

CEBU CITY—Aside from showing businesses how to take advantage of technology, this year’s Cebu Business Month (CBM) will give businesses the opportunity to interact with technology enablers and providers.

Lilu Aliño, chairperson of CBM 2019, explained that the month-long event would also feature a reverse teaching session, wherein the entrepreneurs would call on the technology providers and enablers to address the specific needs of their company.

“In the past, we’ve always had the enablers, the technology guys presenting to business their ideas about how to address challenges in the business. Now, we’re going to have a session where the businessman will tell you this is my challenge, this is my problem in my business,” Aliño said.

She added that that they arrived at this strategy during their brainstorming together with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). 

“It was actually (the) DTI who suggested this (reverse teaching),” she added. 

“We will be working with the Department of Trade and Industry and with the Department of Science and Technology,” Aliño said.

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Paulo Uy, chairperson for the CBM 2019 ICT-BPM, recalled that in the past, the software designers and developers brought their products and showed these to businessmen without understanding if these were what the companies needed.

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“This time we’re matching business and opportunity on how they could level up,” Aliño pointed out.

This session will be among the activities for the three-day Entrepreneurship Summit and Innovation Expo, which will be held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on June 12 to June 14.

CBM 2019 will also include the DOST-7 2019 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibit (RICE) to be held simultaneously with the Entrepreneurship Summit also at the same venue.

DOST-7 will recognize homegrown inventors, designers and creative researchers through RICE to promote awareness and interest in science and technology. The entries will also be displayed during the event for public viewing.

In the past, the awards include outstanding utility models, outstanding industrial designs, outstanding creative researches or the Likha Award as well as outstanding student creative researches or the Sibol Awards for college and high school students./dbs