An artificial intelligence-powered disaster alert system and an electric vehicle conversion technology won the top prizes in the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines’ 2026 Socially Relevant Technologies Contest.
WiredField Philippines’ Alerto placed first in the professional category, while the GPfi and Manual Electric Vehicle Conversion System developed by Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Dasmariñas topped the youth category.
The contest, held at the University of Makati, focused this year on “AI-Driven Green and Inclusive Technologies for Climate-Resilient Filipino Communities.” Five finalists competed in each of the professional and youth categories, with the top three receiving cash prizes and assistance in securing intellectual property protection.
NuviTech Consumer Electronics Manufacturing placed second in the professional category for its Nuvitron Polarized Combustion Technology, which seeks to improve internal combustion engines through electromagnetic fuel ionization and electrostatic ionization of air.
Mindoro State University took third place for Project MOSES, or Monitoring and Observation of Site-Specific E-weather Station, powered by the Green Energy Network for Enhanced Synoptic Integrated Station.
Other professional finalists were ArkoTech Space Solutions’ TANAW+, an augmented reality-based geospatial visualization system for urban hazard assessment, and VORTEX-SALBA, which combines wind energy generation with AI-powered disaster intelligence. The latter was developed by Klimatech Innovative Solutions and the Asian Institute of Management-Dado Banatao Incubator.
In the youth category, the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA-Las Piñas Campus placed second for a portable, autonomous, solar-powered device designed to assess the viability of sites for photovoltaic installations.
The Mabini Academy of Lipa, Batangas, finished third with BeeSION, a real-time AI system that uses the YOLOv8 computer vision model to detect “Varroa destructor” mites in honeybee colonies. The system includes a 3D-printed vaporizer for applying acaricidal treatment.
The other youth finalists were Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology’s LikasLens, an AI-based civic reporting and environmental protection platform, and Mindanao State University-Main Campus’ AquaBio-Pack.
IPOPHL director general Teodoro Pascua said the contest showed how AI and intellectual property could be used to address environmental and social problems.
“Filipino innovation is at its strongest when it responds to the challenges people face every day. The SRT Contest gives us a glimpse of what is possible when AI, creativity and intellectual property come together to build greener, more inclusive and climate-resilient communities,” Pascua said.
“Our goal is not only to recognize promising inventions, but also to help create pathways for Filipino innovators to develop, protect and bring their technologies closer to the communities that need them most,” he added.
University of Makati president Elyxzur Ramos said patent information could also support the development of technologies with practical benefits for communities.
“We hope that this event provides us an opportunity to better understand how patent information can contribute to the development of technologies that are not only innovative but also socially relevant, accessible, and responsive to the needs of the communities,” Ramos said.
The entries addressed several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals covering climate action, industry and infrastructure, sustainable cities and reduced inequalities.
