UPLB’s digital transformation project, UPLB TUKLAS, received the Best Paper award at the 6th International RDE Management Congress held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from March 18-20, 2025. 

The congress, themed “Fostering Innovation in Research Management: Towards a Globalized Economy through Research & Development,” convened over 100 delegates from leading ASEAN universities, research institutions, and businesses, facilitating knowledge exchange between Philippine and Vietnamese researchers and managers. 

The program included plenary discussions and three cluster paper presentations: Cluster 1: Agriculture, Aquatic, Environment, Education & Social Science, and Natural Resources; Cluster 2: ICT & Technology and Business & Economy; and Cluster 3: R&D Management as a Gateway to Internationalization, along with a session for non-competing papers.

Czarlina May E. Magnata, project leader of UPLB TUKLAS, presented the winning paper, “UPLB TUKLAS: Digitally Transforming UPLB RDE Management Processes,” for the ICT & Technology and Business & Economy cluster. 

The other winning paper for the same cluster is titled “Determining Frontier Technologies for Agriculture 4.0 in the Philippine Research and Development: Implications for Human Development” presented by Dr. Jesselle S. Laranas of DOST PCAARRD.

Magnata’s presentation highlighted the system’s impact on UPLB’s R&E operations, showcasing its ability to streamline management processes through digital technology.

UPLB TUKLAS, also known as Transformative and Unified Knowledge and Learning Administration System, is an information management system developed to manage and monitor UPLB’s research and extension projects. UPLB began implementing the system in January.

With over 900 R&E projects that UPLB generates annually, UPLB TUKLAS enables UPLB researchers to facilitate project registration, monitoring, and team collaboration, thereby streamlining the workflow for project management. It also allows for the tagging of R&E projects that contribute to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The UPLB TUKLAS team consists of Magnata (section head), Rosalie G. Orma, and Domingo R. Abucay, Jr., from the Knowledge Management, Extension, and Public Service Section of the UPLB Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension. (Ana Margarita S. Palma)