Written By Carl Tristan Gile
Photos Courtesy of Fr. Dexter Austria
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) institutes another step on widening the reach of Thomasian Education through the Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center which will be built at the UST Sta. Rosa, Laguna campus.
The Innovation Center is a three-storey structure named after the UST Chemical Engineering alumnus and founder of the fast-food chain Jollibee, Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong. This structure will be a home for new inventions and discoveries of the said campus’ future Thomasians.
Its groundbreaking ceremony was conducted by the UST administration last December 21, 2020.
In a message from Dr. Caktiong, he said that innovation plays a critical role in economic growth - ought to be “smart, inclusive, and sustainable.” For him, the innovation center recognizes these.
Vice-Rector Fr. Isaias D. Tiongco, O.P., JCD said in his opening remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony that the center will help the university to face the challenges from the “changing tides in education.”
He also highlighted that the university should go beyond the parameters to level, if not more advanced, with the new models.
The Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation Academician Maribel G. Nonato, PhD also said in her remarks in the ceremony that this is to bring research back to society. She believes that this will be a good step for the UST Sta. Rosa to be an “innovation-driven campus” – as its outputs can greatly contribute for the benefit of the society.
The Casas+ Architects designed the structure that paid homage to UST’s timelessness. The building’s features will be adaptable and sustainable using state-of-the-art technology and materials. It is expected to be operational by the year 2022.
A smaller version of the said innovation center was built in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) last 2019 – called the DOST-TomasINNO, a Technology Business Incubator (TBI).
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