The UPLB Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE) held the 2nd General Assembly for the UPLB interdisciplinary study centers (IDSCs) on March 14, 2024.

The assembly included a workshop aimed at reorganizing the IDSCs under the five focus areas of the UPLB AGORA, namely, food security and sovereignty; one health; resilience and sustainability; future communities and institutions; and social justice and cultural flourishing.

Clustering the IDSCs into five focus areas was a step towards aligning UPLB’s research agenda with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This clustering would help identify the goals and SDG indicators for each focus area, as well as guide its research collaborations in the future. Through this, UPLB aims to solidify its role as a campus for research and solutions centered on sustainability.

Notably, assigning IDSCs to specific focus areas highlights the primacy of the IDSC for each area. Nevertheless, given their interdisciplinary nature, interactions among IDSCs are expected to extend beyond their designated focus areas

The current list of ISDCs under each focus area is as follows:

Food Security & Sovereignty

• IDSC on Food and Nutrition Security
• IDSC on Organic Agriculture
• UPLB Bee Program
• UPLB Nanotech Program
• Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines (SARAI)
• Philippine Mining at the National to Catchment Scale: From Legacy Impacts to Sustainable Futures (PAMANA)
• PGC-Agriculture

One Health

• IDSC on Biosensors for One Health
• Natural Products Development Program
• Zoonosis
• Seven Lakes Assessment and Monitoring Program: Strategies towards a Sustainable Lake Ecosystem (7 LAMPS)
• Cave Ecosystems Research Program (CAVES) Niche Center in the Regions for Research & Development (NICER)
• UPLB Elderly Development Program
• UPLB Child Development Resource Center

Resilience and Sustainability

• IDSC for Water
• Interdisciplinary Biofuels
• Research Study Center
• Interdisciplinary Life Cycle
• Assessment Laboratory
• Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (INREM)
• Climate Disaster and Risks
• Studies Center
• Families of Children with Exceptionalities (FaCEs)

Future Communities and Institutions

• Robotics and Instrumentation Studies Center
• Computational Interdisciplinary Research Laboratories
• U Pulse
• Development Innovations and Policy Laboratory (DIP Lab)
• Social Development and Management Program
• Technical Assistance Program on Human Settlements Planning (TAP-HSP)

Social Justice and Cultural Flourishing

• IDSC for South Luzon
• Dunong Program
• Soksay sa Barangay, Barangay sa Soksay
• PINTIG: Adolescent Development and Psychosocial Support Program
• University Pulse Survey Research Program (UPSRP)

UPLB AGORA’s Expanding Research Focus

In contrast to traditional research, which primarily focuses on individual disciplines, UPLB’s interdisciplinary studies centers are built on collaboration. The IDSCs transcend traditional academic boundaries, employing experts from various units and colleges across the university. IDSCs actively partner with government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector to directly address the needs of the communities they serve.

UPLB held its first IDSC workshop in April 2022, shortly after launching its unified research and extension agenda, UPLB AGORA. From four focus areas and twelve IDSCs, UPLB AGORA has only evolved since 2022. 

This February 2024 saw the launch of Social Justice and Cultural Flourishing as the fifth focus area. Meanwhile, the recent IDSC assembly in March was attended by 35 representatives from different IDSCs, programs, projects, and research laboratories.

Among the first IDSCs established were centers with a strong focus on environmental and resource management.  These included the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management (INREM) program under Resilience and Sustainability, the National Products Development Program (NPDP) under One Health, and the UPLB Bee Program under Food Security & Sovereignty.

The addition of the fifth AGORA focus area, Social Justice and Cultural Flourishing, further broadened the scope of IDSCs with the reinclusion of the Southern Luzon Studies Center, and the addition of new and familiar programs, namely, Soksay sa Barangay, Barangay sa Soksay, and PINTIG: Adolescent Development and Psychosocial Support Program.

Aligning research with SDG indicators

The assembly also discussed the alignment of UPLB AGORA’s research agenda with the SDGs. Each of UPLB AGORA’s five focus areas targets specific SDGs, with some addressing multiple goals. For instance, Food Security and Sovereignty tackles both SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), while One Health focuses on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

“Now, we have these sustainable development goals. How do we know we are achieving them? That is where indicators come in,” Prof. Zita Albacea from the Institute of Statistics said.

In her talk, Prof. Albacea explored how UPLB AGORA’s research agenda could be strategically aligned with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly by focusing on defining and building SDG indicators. 

She explained that while the Philippines has adapted 157 SDG indicators, many required further development. A key challenge lay in Tier 2 and Tier 3 indicators. While Tier 1 indicators had established methodologies and readily available data, Tier 2 indicators lacked established data sources and Tier 3 indicators lacked established measurement methodologies.

One example Prof. Albacea gave was the Tier 2 indicator “Prevalence of under-nourishment” under SDG 2: Zero Hunger.  Difficulties arose in collecting data for this indicator due to the unclear definition of “under-nourishment,” which could refer to both underweight and overweight. Another example was the Tier 3 indicator “Proportion of agriculture area under productive and sustainable agriculture,” which requires defining key terms like “productive area” and possibly exploring alternative data sources like satellite imagery.

Professor Albacea encouraged representatives from the interdisciplinary study centers (IDSCs) to explore if their research could contribute to defining methodologies and identifying data sources for Tier 2 and Tier 3 indicators. This collaboration, she noted, would be crucial in supporting NEDA and the government in effectively monitoring progress towards the SDGs.

Sustainable partnerships for the SGDs

VCRE Nathaniel C. Bantayan also discussed plans to expand the AGORA network of partners, setting up UPLB as a sustainability campus for research. 

“The UPLB AGORA, as we know, is developed to ensure that our research and extension endeavors address the most critical issues in our country,” he said. “However, to ensure that we achieve this goal as well as to encourage local and international collaboration, it is vital to show how the UPLB AGORA impacts the community and contributes to positive change.”

The University is also preparing a proposal to undertake a research program with the goal of making UPLB net zero; that is, reducing its carbon footprint to net zero.

AGORA in particular is expanding its global partnerships; with assistance from the Office of Institutional Linkages, it continues to implement its Visiting Researcher Program. Through this, professors, students, and industry professionals from both local and abroad can stay at UPLB for up to one year, officially becoming part of the university and serving as partners for research, extension and public service. (Jill Parreño)