The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) honored Dr. Erwin Cadorna, President of the University of Northern Philippines, as one of the country’s distinguished Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Ambassadors for 2026 during the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week celebration on February 16 at CSI Stadia in Dagupan City.
The recognition was conferred by Dr. Renato Solidum Jr., Secretary of DOST, together with Dr. Teresita Tabaog, Regional Director of DOST Regional Office I.
The STI Ambassador recognition highlights leaders who actively promote science-based solutions and help bring DOST-supported innovation closer to communities through partnerships, capability-building, and deployable technologies. The award underscores President Cadorna’s leadership in making STI a working system at UNP, not just a slogan. Under his administration, the university has tightened the “from idea to impact” pathway by strengthening innovation support and intellectual property (IP) mechanisms, sharpening technology transfer efforts, and encouraging research that produces solutions people can actually use.
A strong part of this drive is UNP’s push into smart technologies. The university has continued developing systems and platforms for digitization, decision support, and service improvement, while also protecting these outputs through utility model registration and other IP actions, ensuring innovations are secured as real institutional assets, ready to be shared, adopted, and scaled.This work is further amplified by active partnerships with DOST units, LGUs, industry, and fellow academic institutions, providing UNP’s research with a clearer path to piloting, deployment, and real-world application. UNP’s continuing recognition in STEM-related research and innovation forums reinforces the strength of its innovation pipeline and the practicality of its solutions-oriented outputs.
President Cadorna has also backed national and international conferences and research gatherings that connect researchers, practitioners, and partners, helping turn networks into collaborations and collaborations into projects. Through capability-building programs led by the University Research and Development Office, UNP has continued to strengthen research methods, innovation practices, IP readiness, and publication quality across colleges, while also expanding student innovation pathways.
In accepting the STI Ambassador role, President Cadorna committed to championing STI advocacy and deepening collaboration with DOST and partners, helping move university innovations from campus development to community use across the region.
Article by Dean Alvin Pablico.
