The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), through its Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P), has extended its reach in Dumaguete City, fostering collaborations with key academic institutions. This initiative underscores PIDS’ commitment to expanding access to critical socioeconomic research and strengthening partnerships beyond Metro Manila.
The recent series of orientation visits included sessions with St. Paul University Dumaguete (SPUD) and Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), two prominent academic institutions in Negros Oriental. These engagements aim to foster collaboration and encourage active participation in advancing research accessibility and impact across the region.
SERP-P is the country’s pioneering online repository of policy research, offering a wide range of socioeconomic resources from PIDS and over 65 partner institutions. It provides a platform for collaboration among researchers, academic institutions, and policymakers, making socioeconomic research easily accessible to the public. As of October 2024, the portal features 9,508 publications, with the network continuing to grow in membership and reach.
At SPUD, PIDS Senior Research Specialist and SERP-P Coordinator Ezekiel Nicomedes conducted an orientation for key stakeholders, including Mr. Roel Jumawan, SPUD’s Director of Research and Publications, and his team.
During the session, Nicomedes provided an overview of SERP-P’s history, its role as the Philippines’ first electronic repository of socioeconomic resources and the importance of open access in amplifying research visibility and impact.
Jumawan highlighted the potential of integrating SERP-P into their research ecosystem, noting that the platform could provide faculty and researchers with access to high-quality local resources to support their academic and policy-oriented projects.
Following the engagement at SPUD, the PIDS team also visited NORSU to meet with Dr. Craig Refugio, Director of the Office of International Linkages and Acting Director of the Office of University Research, along with other university officials and staff.
During this meeting, Nicomedes introduced the Philippine Journal of Development, a flagship PIDS publication that features peer-reviewed journal articles on pressing socioeconomic issues in the country. He highlighted the journal’s value for NORSU faculty and researchers, particularly in enriching their academic outputs and policy contributions.
Refugio commended the efforts of PIDS and SERP-P to democratize research access, noting that the partnership could help address disparities in academic resources often faced by regional institutions. He added that it could improve their university’s access to socioeconomic research while also offering a platform to share its studies with a broader audience.
Beyond fostering partnerships, the engagements also underscored the broader mission of SERP-P to bridge knowledge gaps across the country.
Explore the SERP-P repository at serp-p.pids.gov.ph and view photos of the visits here: https://bit.ly/SERPPinDumaguete. ###