PANABO CITY, Davao del Norte — The Davao del Norte State College called on tech innovators and researchers to ideate and build startups that address challenges in the sea and ocean.
Initiated by its technology business incubator, Blue Economy Underpinning Global Sustainability through Adaptive Innovations (BUGSAI TBI), DNSC has brought together about 150 Blue Economy stakeholders at the RIPPLE: Ocean Tech Innovation Conference on August 1, 2025, at the Molave Hotel, Tagum City.
The ocean tech conference aimed to connect tech innovators and interested stakeholders to learn about the Blue Economy and its domains in the hopes of inspiring innovations and startups for the sea and ocean. It was attended by representatives from Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and engineering organizations, students, researchers, fisherfolk organizations in Panabo, government agencies, media, and other interested innovators.
The one-day event featured keynote talks about the Blue Economy, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Shipping, Maritime Trade, and Ocean-based Logistics, Climate and Disaster Resilience, Marine Protection, Conservation, and Preservation, and Renewable Ocean Energy to promote the understanding of these domains and a deep dive discussion on its challenges and opportunities in a fireside chat. There will also be a trade fair for marine-based products, a techno fair for ocean tech and research, and a pitching of blue innovations from DNSC.
“Oftentimes, when innovators ideate about what their next project or research will be, the ocean and the Blue Economy are not always at their top of their minds. And while it has been promoted ever since, the significance of the Blue Economy is gaining more attention now locally and internationally, so we do not want to miss that opportunity to contribute to its development,” said Dr. Jesebel R. Besas, project leader of DOST-DNSC BUGSAI TBI.
“Our challenge with them is that with the knowledge, skills, networks, and passion that we have and we gained here, what tech innovations or startups can we build to sustain the ocean, address its challenges, and uplift the communities around it?”, she said.
“The ocean is not just a resource; it is our lifeline. Yet, for too long, its challenges have outpaced our solutions. But here, we change that narrative. We unite the academics, industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to create more than dialogue but spark actionable innovation. We create a dynamic platform for collaboration, one that challenges conventional approaches and inspires transformative solutions to the pressing issues facing our oceans and coastal communities,” said DNSC President Dr. Joy M. Sorrosa.
She added that this is also aligned with the vision of DNSC to be the institution leading in agri-fisheries and socio-cultural development in ASEAN.
Fireside chat with resource speakers on Shipping, Maritime Trade, and Logistics, Climate and Disaster Resilience, Marine Protection, Preservation, and Conservation, and Renewable Ocean Energy.
This conference serves as their platform to fully understand it, and hopefully pique their innovation interests,” Besas said.
RIPPLE: Ocean Tech Innovation Conference is supported by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) and in collaboration with the Singapore-based accelerator BluC53, DOST Davao Region, DOST Provincial Science and Technology Office-Davao del Norte (PSTO-DDN) and Department of Trade and Industry Davao Region (DTI Davao) and its provincial offices, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Information and Communications Technology Davao Region (DICT Davao), and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Local Government Unit of Panabo City, through the City Environment and Natural Resources, and DNSC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center.
