A homegrown innovation designed to make Braille learning easier for the visually impaired took center stage at the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) 2025 in Davao City.
The assistive learning tool, BRAILLEiance, was named champion in the “Startup Pitching Competition: Innovation to Impact”, besting other promising technologies from across the region.
Developed to make Braille education more accessible, BRAILLEiance features a progressive learning system that helps users move from recognizing individual Braille characters to reading full sentences.
Beyond winning the top prize, BRAILLEiance also earned the Investor’s Choice Award, underscoring its market readiness and strong potential for commercialization.
Placing second was TanimText, which also received the Tech for Good Award for its agriculture-focused digital solution that supports farmers through technology-enabled communication and information platforms.
In third place was Coco, which bagged the Impact Potential Award for its sustainability-centered innovation promoting eco-friendly product development.
DOST-Davao regional director Dr. Anthony C. Sales said the competition reflects the agency’s ongoing effort to nurture young innovators and use science and technology as drivers of social good.
“Through initiatives like this, we hope to inspire more innovators to see science and technology not just as tools for business, but as catalysts for change,” Dr. Sales said.
The Startup Pitching Competition forms part of the annual RSTW, one of DOST’s flagship programs promoting science-based and inclusive solutions for sustainable development.
