SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ — The Department of Science and Technology-Central Luzon (DOST-3) has partnered with Bauertek Corp., a manufacturer of high-quality food supplements, to establish a state-of-the art research, manufacturing and development facility in this lone science city the country, and the second in Asia, located in Nueva Ecija. The other is in Japan.
Bauertek Corporation specializes in the manufacture of high-quality food supplements. DOST said the facility will focus on the extraction and processing of high-purity curcumin, piperine, allicin, jamun and other bioactive compounds for the food and agriculture industry. The partnership is under the DOST’s Business Innovation through Science and Technology program.
DOST-3 Regional Director Dr. Julius Caesar Sicat said the project is timely and would be of great help to DOST’s goal of making the Science City of Muñoz the first and model smart city not just in Central Luzon but in the Philippines.
We will have high-end laboratory equipment that can be used not only by Bauertek Corp. but also by our researchers in Central Luzon so that they can conduct higher level research. This is one of the great opportunities I see which will be a game changer to push our indigenous plant materials into something that our farmers could make money from),” Sicat said in a radio interview.
He encouraged everyone especially the academe, private partners and innovators to develop relevant and innovative technologies ready for commercialization. “Because through these efforts, we are not just helping the community; we are also helping them believe that science works,” he added.
To be put up in a 16-hectare lot inside the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) compound, the facility will have a herbal processing center, plantation, research and visitor’s center, among others.
Bauertek Corp. and the CLSU earlier forged an agreement for the establishment of the facility. The collaboration project will also provide faculty, researchers and students opportunities for them to see and experience high-end laboratories and will generate more jobs and income for the country.
Construction of the facility has started and is expected to be finish within two years.