THE Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DoST-PCIEERD) is proposing a higher artificial intelligence (AI) and smart city project budget for 2025.

About P87 million is proposed to be allotted for smart city and AI projects in 2025 from the approved P54 million this year, the DoST-PCIEERD said on July 18.

“AI for governance, I think it will become a big field… Many of our systems in the government, although digitalized, are not made as intelligent systems,” DoST-PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico C. Paringit said.

One example is Project MInERVA (Monitoring of Indicators for Efficient Redevelopment and Value Assessment) in Baguio City, which addresses urban decay and promotes smart city development.

Mr. Paringit said DoST-PCIEERD will sign a memorandum of agreement in October for projects that will be approved for 2025 and 2026.

“In a broader view, DoST will launch big-ticket programs highlighting the initiatives of the DoST agencies, many research and development information systems,” he said.

These programs will focus on AI, Industry 4.0, circular economy, smart technologies, and smart and sustainable cities.

In 2024, the DoST unit allotted P800 million for 204 projects in nine priority areas, with   P570 million going to STI or Science, technology, and innovation Governance initiatives that are mostly implemented in the second semester.

Meanwhile, Mr. Paringit said there will be no startup grant fund next year, although it will still support spin-offs.

“They’re sort of startups, but these are technologies that are coming out of universities. It means that we encouraged to spin off or start as a university project to becoming the chief executive officer establishing their own,”he said. — A.R.A. Inosante

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