NEDA Nat’l Office Visits USM for Project Monitoring

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) National Office conducted project monitoring of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), particularly the Establishment of Instrumentation System Modeling, Assembly and Response Testing (iSMART) Laboratory on August 15, 2024, at the Extension Services Office (ESO), USM, Kabacan, Cotabato. 

During the monitoring and visit, the NEDA team interviewed the DepEd teachers, students, and USM alumni. In the report, capacity-building activities were already conducted in selected schools, while several sets of laboratory equipment are now under procurement. 

Engr. Maricel Dayaday, the project leader of the USM team, is thankful for the monitoring as it helped them assess, evaluate, and provide feedback on its implementation and financial aspects. 

“In the next months, we will check the impact of the project on the different beneficiaries and see the factors to be improved, and of course, the project’s strength.” She emphasized. 

The iSMART Laboratory Project is among the twenty-five (25) approved proposals out of the two hundred eighty-seven (287) proposals received by NEDA XII. The project is under the 2023 Innovation Grant of NEDA that started in October 2023 and will end in September 2024. 

Further, the iSMART Laboratory aims to provide a dedicated facility for students, faculty members, researchers, and professionals to develop technological solutions in the instrumentation field and control that would address the needs of local communities and industries. 

Danna Jane Y. Mariñas, the Economic Development Specialist, headed the NEDA Team.