UP Engineering Research & Development Foundation Inc.

Background

The UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation Inc (UPERDFI) is a non-stock and non-profit private foundation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and with the Department of Science and Technology.

Since its establishment in 1972, it has committed to support the UP College of Engineering in Diliman (UPDCOE) by generating financial resources; managing endowment funds and specified donations; awarding financial support for the faculty and students; administering donations (financial and in kind) for buildings and classrooms and for research and instructional laboratories; and advocating for academe, government and industry linkages that focus on research and academics.

UPERDFI comprises about 150 members who are mostly alumni of UPDCOE, and is run by a fifteen-person Board of Trustees: eleven elected to serve three-year overlapping terms, and four ex-officio members. UPERDFI works with the UP Alumni Engineers Association, Inc. (UPAE) in mobilizing support from individuals and corporate organizations. It provides some administrative support to the UP National Engineering Center (UP NEC), particularly with regards research projects and technical activities undertaken by the center.

UPERDFI is recognized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue as a Donee Institution, exempting donors from paying donor's tax and providing 100% expense deductibility of donations for donations of a minimum of P50,000. It is also a listed recipient of donations made through the Friends of the University of Philippines Foundation in America (FUPFA), enabling donors to receive an Acknowledgement Letter recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The SGV & Co. is the independent auditor.

Supporting UPCOE

The demands of a global society, where the interdependence of nations is a key element, requires us in the Philippines to take an active part in crafting the future, particularly our own. Yet, we must start in our own home – how do we help our bottom-of-the-pyramid countrymen in uplifting their state of well-being? We must strengthen our educational system, alongside with advances in all aspects of national consequence, and pursue activities where they can participate and benefit from.

Being the major player in the field of engineering education of the Philippine national university system, UPCOE is the learning home of 5,000+ students in the bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate programs, with over 260 faculty members. The UP Charter enjoins UPCOE to lead in education, research, extension and public service, with innovation being a renewed focus.

Beyond the classroom, UPCOE helps upgrade the instructional and research skills of faculty members of some State Universities. UPCOE is also the lead institution in implementing the Department of Science and Technology’s Engineering Research and Development for Technology Program (DOST-ERDT), with seven other universities involved.

In addition to building better engineers, we need to develop technopreneurs. Thus, our new thrust is Lab-to-Market-to-Lab (L2M2L) - to bridge the intellectual capital of UPCOE with society. By providing mentoring, bridge funding and investment, we help ensure that the potentials of these research results and conceptual designs are developed closer to market. We also ask industry and investors what topics they want to be researched and pursued. For this, we work with DOST’s UPSCALE – the UP Sustaining Collaboration in an Advanced Learning Environment based in UP Diliman.

We must expand our stakeholder base by involving more individuals and companies, who will help UPCOE maintain its leading-edge position in ENGINEERING EDUCATION, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE AND ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL LEVELS OF PHILIPPINE SOCIETY!

Ways to be Involved

Market-Oriented Research

1. Technopreneurship: Lab-to-Market-to-Lab Projects. Students and faculty enhance their respective thesis and research projects for potential market capitalization. Donors can contribute to the UPERDFI Innovation Grants Fund, to provide bridge financing to projects in the development and start-up levels. On the other hand, businesses and corporations may enlist the help of the college for their specific research and development needs. A digital platform is being built to connect students/faculty or “ideators” with investors.

While UPSCALE provides shepherding of projects, UPERDFI enlists industry mentors who provide much-needed entrepreneurial guidance to project teams. These mentors may be compensated with shares of stock in the incorporated start-ups.

2. Collaborative Research Projects. With the UP National Engineering Center (UPNEC) or with specific UPCOE Institutes and Departments, companies can engage faculty-led teams in carrying out in-depth research projects. In many cases, technical staff of the involved company join in to carry out defined parts of the study in their own laboratories, thus enabling skills exchange/transfer from academe to industry and vice versa.

Infrastructure and Facilities

3. Research and Instructional Laboratories. Laboratories are critical, as we push our faculty and students to carry out projects that require more intensive and extensive scopes. State-of-the-art technology software and equipment multiply the productivity of brainpower resident in our College!

4. Buildings and Classrooms. We have several new buildings at the Engineering Complex in the southern part of UP Diliman that need to furnish classrooms and case rooms with a set of multimedia equipment, ergonomic chairs and desks, air-conditioning, lighting and sunlight breakers. Based on the seating capacity, this requires P400,000 – P600,000. New buildings can also be donated, with naming rights given in accordance with UP policies.

Faculty Development

5. Professorial Chairs.Our program of awarding chairs has excited our faculty to redouble efforts in doing research on top of their teaching roles. In accordance with UP rules and guidelines, the chair awardees are chosen after a rigorous evaluation process, based on papers that they produced in the previous academic year.

A professorial chair is supported either by an endowment fund (where only the interest earned is used for the annual awards), or by a 6-year commitment to provide annual donations. The UP Board of Regents requires that a professorial chair must award at least P120,000. Thus, a donor has the following options:

- A P 120,000 Chair, which requires a P3.5 million endowment, or an annual donation for the award amount - A P 180,000 Chair, with a P5.3 Million endowment, or an annual donation - A P 240,000 Chair, with a P7.0 million endowment, or an annual donation

6. Faculty Grants. These are provided to faculty members handling courses that require new teaching innovations, or to faculty who are pursuing specific research projects. A full-scale faculty grant calls for P120,000 to P200,000 a year; and a Teaching and Research Grant for P60,000/year. An Innovation Grant is also available to faculty who mentor specific technopreneurship projects enrolled in UPSCALE. Expenses for professors to present their research papers in international conferences also require funding beyond what UP can provide. Donations to the Faculty Development Fund, which started with a P1.8 Million donation from the UP Alumni Engineers, will be of great help.

Course Development

11. Sponsored Courses. The University recognizes the importance of industry experts handling a course of their specialization, subject to satisfying academic requirements. Industry is encouraged to co-develop courses with the appropriate Department or Institute.

12. In-house Degree Courses. The Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute have established inroads in industry with Master of Engineering degree courses. Professors conduct the coursework at UP or at the host company’s site, with the basic course curriculum required by the College, and the lab/practical courses tailor-fitted to the company’s requirements. The other Departments and Institutes are developing similar courses also.

13. Lecture Series. Alumni can share their career experiences to inspire students and help in career mentoring by participating in the Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series.

           UPERDFI ORGANIZATION, 2016 - 17

Chairman, Board of Trustees – Pedro H. Maniego, Jr.
President – Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr.
Vice President – Rosario S. Calderon
Treasurer & Corporate Secretary – Aura C. Matias
Comptroller – Editha J. Atienza

       Members of the Board of Trustees, 2016 – 17 

ELECTED:
Silvino Alcabasa, Jr.
Alfonso A. Aliga, Jr.
Filemon T. Berba, Jr.
Rosario Calderon
Isidro A. Consunji
Pedro H. Maniego, Jr.
Aura C. Matias
Rogelio M. Murga
Antonio M. Ostrea
Ramon B. Segismundo
Emilio J. Tumbocon

EX-OFFICIO:
UPDCOE Dean - Rizalinda L. de Leon
UPDCOE Faculty Representative – Joseph Reyes
UP System Representative - Joselito G. Florendo
UP Alumni Engineers President – Liberito Espiritu (2016), Adrian Arias (2017)

Council of Advisers:
Leopoldo V. Abis
Magdaleno B. Albarracin, Jr.
Cesar A. Buenaventura
Marcelo Casillan, Jr.
David M. Consunji
Jesus P. Francisco
Manuel T. Frondoso
Fortunato T. de la Pena
Gregorio Vigilar
Cesar E. A. Virata

Past Presidents:
Dean Alfredo L. Juinio (+) Founding President
Leopoldo V. Abis

           UP DILIMAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP TEAM

Dean: Dr. Rizalinda L. de Leon

Associate Deans:
Dr. Menandro Berana (for Research and Instruction)
Dr. Rhandley Cajote (for Student Affairs)
Dr. Nathaniel Diola (for Administration and Facilities)
Dr. Eric Augustus Tingatinga (for Institutional Linkages and Alumni Affairs)

College Secretary: Dr. Jhoanna Pedrasa

Academic Unit Heads:
Dr. Ricardo Sigua (Institute of Civil Engineering)
Dr. Richard Hizon (Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute)
Dr. Terence Tumolva (Dept. of Chemical Engineering)
Dr. Jan Michael Yap (Dept. of Computer Science)
Dr. Ariel Blanco (Dept. of Geodetic Engineering)
Prof. Lowell Lorenzo (Dept. of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research)
Prof. Ralph Jose (Dept. of Mechanical Engineering)
Dr. Magdaleno Vazquez, Jr. (Dept. of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering)

Program Coordinators:
Dr. Michael Pedrasa (Energy Engineering)
Dr. Augustus Resurreccion (Environmental Engineering)

UP NATIONAL ENGINEERING CENTER

Executive Director – Dr. Rizalinda L. de Leon
Deputy Executive Director – Dr. Mili-Ann Tamayao