In 2010, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Republic Act No. 10055 which states an act providing the framework and support system for the ownership, management, use, and commercialization of intellectual property generated from research and development funded by government and for other purposes. This republic act has a short title “Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009.”
According to Section 2 of Republic Act 10055 “the State fully recognizes that science, technology and innovation are essential for national development and progress. It shall, therefore, give priority to research and development, invention, innovation and their utilization. It shall also encourage the widest and most systematic participation of all stakeholders in policy-making related to science and technology, and in the generation, transfer and utilization of intellectual property, especially for the benefit of the general public.
Furthermore, the State shall facilitate the transfer and promote the utilization of intellectual property for the national benefit and shall call upon all research and development institutes and/or institutions (RDIs) that perform government-funded research and development (R&D) to take on technology transfer as their strategic mission and to effectively translate results of government-funded R&D into useful products and services that will redound to the benefit of Filipinos, notwithstanding the income generated from intellectual property rights (IPRs) and technology transfer activities.
Lastly, the State acknowledges that the successful transfer of government-funded R&D results depend on the proper management of intellectual property, development of capacity by RDIs to become self-sustaining and competitive, and on enhancing interaction and cooperation with the private sector, particularly small and medium enterprises through collaborative and contract research based on equitable, fair access, and mutual benefit for all involved partners.
The State shall establish the means to ensure greater public access to technologies and knowledge generated from government-funded R&D while enabling, where appropriate, the management and protection of related intellectual property. In support of the above said Republic Act, the Technology Development, Transfer, and Commercialization Office (TDTCO) of Tarlac State University was established. The TDTCO is mandated to promote the creation, protection, transfer of technology, management, as well as commercialization of intellectual properties generated by the university researchers such as faculty members, personnel, staff, visiting professors, and students. The guidelines that govern the promotion of the creation, protection, transfer of technology, management as well as commercialization of intellectual properties are presented in the succeeding sections of this manual. Likewise, the manual covers other services TDTCO can extend to the community towards the protection of their created intellectual properties.
The references considered in the content of this manual are Republic Act No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines; Republic Act No. 10055 or the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009”; Republic Act No. 8439 or Magna Carta for Scientist, Engineers, Researchers and other Science and Technology Personnel in the Government; Joint Department of Science and Technology – Intellectual Property Office Administrative order No. 02-2010; Guidelines on Developing Intellectual Property Policy by the World Intellectual Property Organization; the Innovation and Technology Support Office Franchise Manual of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, and the Revised Intellectual Property Rights Policy of the University of the Philippines System.