Research and development (R&D) landscape in the Philippine health sector
Abstract
The growing complexity of healthcare challenges increasingly requires the convergence of multiple disciplines, technologies, and perspectives. In this evolving interdisciplinary landscape, physics continues to play a foundational role in advancing healthcare technologies—from medical imaging and radiation therapy to biosensing, instrumentation, materials engineering, and biomedical optics. As healthcare systems increasingly rely on advanced technologies for diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and rehabilitation, opportunities continue to expand for physicists to contribute to solving pressing national health challenges through research and innovation.
The presentation will discuss the Research and Development (R&D) landscape in the health sector, including national R&D priorities and agenda of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST–PCHRD), with emphasis on the Biomedical Engineering for Health (BIOMED) Program and related initiatives that support interdisciplinary and translational health research on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). The talk will also highlight funding opportunities offered by DOST–PCHRD where physicists and physics-based approaches may contribute. Specifically, the presentation will provide an overview of the broader support ecosystem of DOST–PCHRD—from capacity building, ethics review, research management, and to technology transfer, research dissemination, and research-to-policy initiatives—which collectively enable the translation of scientific research into healthcare solutions and societal benefit.
By emphasizing convergence as both a scientific and strategic approach, the talk aims to encourage stronger collaboration between physicists and allied disciplines, and to inspire the Philippine physics community to actively participate in shaping the future of healthcare innovation and technology development in the country.
