Kharen Caldo

Driving Innovation: JCI Week 2025 Event Equips MSMEs to Scale and Succeed

In celebration of the JCI Week 2025, a dynamic collaboration between JCI Surigao North, the Department of Science and Technology DOST Surigao del Norte and Local Government Unit of Tubod, brought a spark of innovation to the local business landscape through the successful conduct of “MSME Forward: Bridging Businesses to Innovation” on April 10, 2025, at the LGU Tubod Municipal Hall, Tubod, Surigao del Norte.
With the goal of accelerating the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the province, the event spotlighted DOST’s flagship initiative for the business sector — the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP). This program champions technological innovation as a key driver of productivity, sustainability, and market competitiveness, urging local businesses to embrace science and technology to transform their operations and scale up.
Participants were also introduced to a wide spectrum of DOST’s comprehensive services for the industry sector, including technology trainings, technical consultancy, packaging and labeling assistance, nutritional facts analysis, and shelf-life testing — key support mechanisms designed to ensure that MSMEs can meet market standards and customer demands.
A showcase of DOST-developed and funded technologies was also featured, opening opportunities for MSMEs to adopt ready-to-deploy innovations tailored to various sectors such as food processing, metals and engineering, product manufacturing, among others. These technologies present not only efficiency improvements but also pathways to expand product offerings and reach new markets.
Recognizing the importance of strategic support, a one-on-one pre-technology needs assessment was conducted with participating firms. This personalized session served as a foundation for crafting responsive and customized interventions aligned with each business’ goals and challenges — demonstrating DOST and JCI’s commitment to building long-term, high-impact support systems for MSME development.
To further empower local entrepreneurs, the Caraga Food Safety Team delivered a crash course on Food Safety and Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). This timely training ensured that business owners are well-informed and equipped with essential knowledge to uphold quality and safety standards in their products and operations.
The event is a testament to #BuildBetterTogether and to what can be achieved through purposeful partnerships and a shared vision for inclusive growth. As JCI Surigao North and DOST Surigao del Norte continue to converge efforts, the province takes a bold step closer to becoming a hub of innovation-driven entrepreneurship — where local businesses not only thrive but lead the way forward. 🧡🚀