Existing regulations on the procurement and handling of strategic goods and requirements for acquiring a research ethics clearance primarily for science, technology, and innovation research were discussed at a recent forum conducted by UP Diliman (UPD) for its faculty, staff, and researchers.

Navigating Regulatory Compliance for Science, Technology, and Innovation Researchers featured lectures from the Policy and Enterprise Relations Division (PERD) of the Department of Trade and Industry Strategic Trade Management Office (STMO), and the Research Ethics Board (REB) of the UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (OVCRD).

Vice Chancellor for Research and Development Carl Michael Odulio said UPD’s research undertakings, “may involve human participants which will require ethics clearance to ensure that the research will be conducted in a responsible and ethical manner. The required clearance should be secured from the research ethics board even before the start of the research.”

For her part, STMO Director Janice Sacedon-Dimayacyac said, “As drivers of innovation and cutting-edge research, UP represents a very crucial component of our national strategic trade system and shares the unique responsibility of keeping our nation’s most critical technologies from falling into the wrong hands.”

Lecturers at the forum were PERD Assistant Division Chief John Derrick Anchiges, PERD Chief Regina Samantha Castro, and REB Chair Maria Corazon De Ungria.

Anchiges spoke about the Strategic Trade Management Act (STMA) or the Republic Act 10697, which lays out the all the rules and regulations in managing the trade of strategic goods. Anchiges’ lecture focused on the regulations and procedures relevant to science, technology, and innovation researchers.

Castro, meanwhile, talked about the inter-agency mechanisms and services available to researchers, should they handle strategic goods.

The STMA defines strategic goods as, “products that, for security reasons or due to international agreements, are considered to be of such military importance that their export is either prohibited altogether or subject to specific conditions. Such goods are generally suitable to be used for military purposes.”

Meanwhile, De Ungria, who is also head of the DNA Analysis Laboratory of the UPD Natural Sciences Research Institute, spoke about the newly formed REB.

According to the REB website, the board ensures “the safety, protect the rights, and promote the welfare and well-being of research participants; issue the ethical approval required for the implementation of any research it has reviewed and approved; promote research integrity by identifying and resolving conflicts of interest; ensure the proper documentation of and adherence to the confidentiality rule and policy on informed consent; and monitor the progress of ongoing research until its completion.”

The forum, held at the UPD Melchor Hall Engineering Theater, was organized by the OVCRD, UPD College of Engineering, and UP System Procurement Office.