2024 Reports | SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

UNIVERSITY SPIN OFFS

University spin-offs are “legally established entities designed to leverage intellectual property generated within the institution, which are currently operational and well-established.”

The Isabela State University, through BOR Resolution No. 419, Series of 2020, approved policies supporting the creation of university spin-offs, thereby institutionalizing innovation-driven entrepreneurship across the institution. The presence of spin-off companies in the university is one of the indicators of successful innovation creation.

As of 2024, there are four (4) spin-off companies established by the university, in order to fast-track the commercialization of the research outputs.

Clevermatic Farming Equipment Trading

Clevermatic Farming Equipment Trading (CFET) is owned and managed by Dr. Januel P. Floresca, a faculty researcher at the College of Agriculture, Isabela State University, Echague Campus. The company was duly registered with the Department of Trade and Industry on August 23, 2019, with business address at St. James Subdivision, Venus Street, Batal, Santiago City.

CFET is envisioned to become an established company in the field of automatic farming equipment, complemented by its mission to develop, promote, and commercialize innovative automatic technologies, systems, and devices designed to address the challenges of climate change adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable agriculture. To make this mission became into reality, the company aims for the following:

1. production, patenting, and marketing of automatic farming technologies, systems, and devices, such as the Intermittent Mist Propagator, which serves to preserve natural resources, mitigate climate change vulnerabilities, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 
2. establish demonstration farms dedicated to showcasing automatic farming technologies, systems, and devices that contribute to the conservation of natural resources, the reduction of climate change vulnerabilities, 
3. mitigation of GHG emissions.

To date, the company, through its intermittent mist propagator, has served farmer-beneficiaries of the local government units of Gonzaga, Cagayan and Maddela, Quirino and Farmers’ Association with 174 members at Saguday, Quirino Province.

JNN Training Consultancy Services

JNN Training Consultancy Services provides consultancy and training services for researchers and Micro, Small, and Medium-size Enterprises (MSMEs) through coaching and mentoring activities on business innovation and provision of standard business services. The spin-off was established by Dr. Jonathan N. Nayga, professor of the College of Agriculture, ISU, Echague, Isabela. 

Potential clients include MSMEs, businessmen, cooperatives, existing companies, government agencies like DOST, DTI, DOLE, CDA, DA, SUCs, and LGUs, and new or start-up businesses. At present, there is no private company offers the same services offered by the spin-off company in the region.

Drolly’s Holistic Therapy and Training Center

Drolly’s Holistic Therapy and Training Center is a spin-off company owned and managed by Dr. Drolly P. Claravall, a faculty member at ISU Ilagan Campus. The center serves the needs of clients suffering from various illnesses that cause bodily pain, requiring proper care and therapy. It also responds to health emergencies, making it a primary concern for authorities and promoting health and wellness for all.

As a sports enthusiast and a pioneer in “blading therapy,” Dr. Drolly invented a hand-held massage tool/blade. Using this tool, she participated in the 2021 Gintong Gawad, a National Search for Outstanding and Inspiring Contributions to Women in grassroots and communities, and received the prestigious award “Makabago at Natatanging Produktong Pang-Isports,” bestowed by the Philippine Sports. Over time, it became an accredited TESDA Training Center for Basic Care Services NC II, with a focus on managing chronic and acute body pain using the Hand-held massage tool. To date, 48 Barangay Health Workers have been trained in this program.

Dr. Claravall invention of an ergonomically designed handheld massage tool has led to the bestowal of Civil Service Commission Pag-asa Award in 2023.

Synqbox Software Development Services

Synqbox Software Development Services, also known as Synqbox, is a spin-off company from ISU – Cauayan City Campus, founded on the research of Dr. Betchie Aguinaldo of the College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology (CCSICT). It was approved by the ISU Board of Regents through BOR Resolution No. 122, Series of 2023, and was formally established on January 25, 2024, through a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Department of Science and Technology Region II, Isabela State University, and Synqbox.

As a university spin-off, Synqbox exemplifies how research-based innovation can be transformed into tangible community solutions. It is among the startups supported by the DOST-ISU Smart City Technology Business Incubator (DISC-TBI) and has become part of a growing startup ecosystem that nurtures homegrown founders in smart city technologies while generating new jobs across the Cagayan Valley Region.

DISC-TBI, funded by DOST-PCIEERD Research Information and Technology Transfer Division (RITTD) through its Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship (HEIRIT) program, helped equip Synqbox’s founder with the knowledge and processes needed to transform a research result into a commercializable product, guiding it through the pre-commercialization phase and ultimately toward the spin-off’s establishment.

Among Synqbox’s flagship technologies is the Digital Business Locator (DBL), a digital investor’s scorecard for Business Process Outsourcing companies. It is funded by the DOST-R2 from the Business Intelligence Research and Development Center (BIRD-C). The technology has been commercialized and adopted by the Cauayan City Government to map business sites, utilities, transport, and workforce data. Its impact was highlighted when it helped attract Everise Philippines, a global customer service leader, to open the region’s first BPO in Cauayan City on March 8, 2025, creating over 845 local jobs and marking the city’s readiness for international investment.

The Optimization of Decision Support System for Effective E-Governance (ODeSSEE), funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) is another Synqbox innovation. It is a data-driven decision support system designed to guide disaster and health emergency management that generates safe, unsafe, and alternative evacuation sites for communities during flood events and COVID-19 affectations. Featuring this technology, Cauayan City bagged 2nd Place for Best in LGU Empowerment in the 2021 Digital Governance Awards. 

Currently, DOST Region II is assisting Synqbox in gaining market traction by pilot testing and customizing ODeSSEE and DBL in the cities of Tuguegarao, Cauayan, and Santiago. This initiative has generated employment opportunities, engaging 12 staff under the DOST Region II project to support the customization and deployment of these technologies. It has also mobilized 10 faculty researchers from University of Saint Louis–Tuguegarao, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, and Isabela State University campuses in Cauayan, Cabagan, and Santiago.

Beyond its technologies, Synqbox also supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in quality education, decent work and economic growth, industry and innovation, sustainable communities, and strong partnerships.

RESEARCH INCOME FROM INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE

Isabela State University generated a research income of ₱75,000 from industry and commerce, with all funding attributed to projects in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This reflects ISU’s growing collaboration with industrial and commercial partners in advancing applied research that addresses real-world challenges. Through these partnerships, the university strengthens its role as a hub of innovation, translating scientific knowledge into practical solutions that contribute to regional and national development.

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