Impact assessment has a critical role in the field of science and technology (S&T) as a key element in the innovation ecosystem.

This was recognized by local and international research and development communities during the first Science and Technology Impact Assessment Conference in Pasay City.

Participants agreed that it allows S&T interventions to be more effective in stimulating national socioeconomic growth and development.

Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, executive director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), said in his message that as one of the pioneers of impact assessment in the government, DOST-PCAARRD attributes it in creating lasting changes in agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sectors.

According to Ebora, impact assessment allows institutions to make the most out of limited resources through smarter decision making.

He shared that information from impact assessments help in prioritizing public funds for programs and projects that generate optimum benefits for Filipinos.

For his part, Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., in his keynote speech, highlighted the role of impact assessment in ensuring that government investments in R&D initiatives contribute to progress and innovation.

With increasingly scarce resources, Solidum expressed the significance of impact assessments in ensuring the returns on investment on R&D to the government.

“It is our duty to ensure that results from scientific and technological efforts are geared and utilized in areas of maximum economic and social benefits for the people,” Solidum pointed out.

Going beyond institutional R&D

Dr. Ernesto O. Brown, DOST-PCAARRD’s Socio Economic Research Division (SERD) director, discussed the Council’s impact assessment initiative.

Brown said, “PCAARRD’s impact assessment efforts for R&D and technology transfer in AANR were established to determine and quantify the socioeconomic contribution of the funded programs and projects to the growth and development of the sector.”

Impact assessment has been an integral part of DOST-PCAARRD’s banner programs.

Upon recognizing the need for an intensive monitoring and evaluation system, SERD reinvented the Council’s approach to conducting impact assessment to cater to different perspectives of development.

Since the 1980s, it has been the Council’s practice to enact impact assessment studies in forecasting and evaluating major S&T initiatives of DOST-PCAARRD on R&D, technology transfer, capacity building, and policy making.

The outcomes of such initiatives then played a crucial role in accounting for S&T investments, program conceptualization and development, resource allocation, and direction setting.

With the goal of socioeconomic development, DOST-PCAARRD’s initiative has brought a deeper understanding of the role of R&D in nation-building. As such, the Council ensures that generated knowledge is shared with the public.

Currently, the Council has released multiple publications on the impact assessment of various DOST-PCAARRD-funded projects through the Impact “Assessment Bulletin.” All of which are available at the DOST-PCAARRD eLibrary.

Moving forward, DOST-PCAARRD aims to widen the reach of its impact assessment initiatives.

The Council is also open to providing assistance to other institutions in setting their own impact assessment activities. It is within the Council’s vision to institutionalize the initiative in order to help create long-lasting change for the country.

Image credits: DOST-PCAARRD