The University of the Philippines will bring together leaders from industry, government, and academia for its first innovation summit to advance its vision of innovation that bridges gaps among industries and communities.
Dubbed “Inoblasyon: The UP Innovation Summit 2026,” the first UP innovation summit opens on May 5 at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Bonifacio Global City. The two-day event will highlight partnerships among researchers, inventors, industry, government agencies, investors, and community partners that are vital to strengthening the University of the Philippines’ innovation ecosystem.
Inoblasyon – fusing the words innovation and oblation – captures UP’s vision of innovation as “purpose-driven contribution and commitment to serve society, one that bridges gaps, uplifts communities, strengthens industries, and advances collective progress,” explained Joel Marciano Jr., UP Vice President for Research and Innovation. This year’s event seeks to cultivate meaningful dialogue and multi-stakeholder engagement to advance emerging innovation clusters. Ultimately, it aims to forge enduring partnerships that drive evidence-based, impact-driven initiatives for nation-building.
Anuj Jain, director of National GRIP and Activate Global Fellows Singapore at Nanyang Technological University, will deliver the keynote speech. As the head of NTU’s Graduate Research and Innovation Programme, he leads national platforms that enable scientists and researchers across Singapore’s universities and research institutes to build companies from IP-rich discoveries. With 25 years of commercial leadership experience across the Asia-Pacific, his work bridges academia, capital, and industry, with a particular focus on closing the “lab-to-market” gap in deep-tech innovation.
The morning sessions will include a panel on energy resilience and the Philippines’ transition to low-carbon, inclusive energy systems, followed by a discussion on social entrepreneurship and inclusive innovation. The closing panel will examine UP-industry partnerships, including chip design collaborations and opportunities for talent development, research and development, and integration into the global supply chain.
Afternoon sessions will feature knowledge exchange discussions and UP-developed technologies, startups, and research in eight innovation clusters: health, biotech and biomedical systems; agri-aqua biotechnology and smart food systems; functional foods and nutraceuticals, climate; energy and environmental technologies; sustainable materials, circular economy and green manufacturing; creative industries and cultural enterprises; digital governance and public-sector innovation; and digital technology innovations in the education and legal sectors.
