Environmental issues and concerns and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being considered in the operation of a multi-million pesos facility, dubbed Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory), at Silliman University (SU) in Dumaguete City, officials said Nov. 6.
The Sinergy Fab Lab, funded with P3.2 million from the Department of Trade and Industry under its Shared Service Facility program, was officially launched Nov. 6 at the SU Mariano and Linao Hall Activity Center.
Janice Forster, manager of the Sinergy Technology Business Incubator and Fab Lab, said they are conscious of the materials being used for the products and services offered and of responsible waste management.
“The Fab Lab is under SU’s technology business incubator as a support facility for our start-ups and our research engagements, and we are making sure that it answers to the SDGs and the needs of the community,” she said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency. However, Forster said not all goals may be addressed just yet.
“We also align our initiatives with the mission and vision of the university, which is also particular about the environment and practices that have effects on the environment,” she said.
She added the Fab Lab will determine how to dispose of wastes properly while also mapping out sustainable practices that will undertake the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – of responsible waste management.
Forster is also confident that their suppliers are compliant with government standards, and assured they will be incorporating the environment in their training.
Dr. Robert Guino-o II, executive director of the SU-Research, Publication and Innovation Office, said the project is not just “business as usual” focusing on production alone.
“We need to anchor our operations on certain realities. These include global warming, plastic pollution, and water contamination, as it is not all economics after all,” Guino-o said.
He added that some of the SDGs like poverty, education, and the environment will also be addressed by the facility’s operations.
The Fab Lab is “a place to play, learn, mentor, invent and for learning innovation while also providing access to the environment, skills, materials and technology,” he said.
The state-of-the-art laboratory consists of Bambulab P1P 3D printers, Einscan 3D scanner, a vacuum forming machine, a Voltera PCB printer (for printing circuit boards), and a print and cut machine (for printing labels and stickers), funded by the DTI.
It is designed not just for academic purposes for students but to provide micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with access to innovation and technology to improve their businesses and become competitive in the market.
The DTI would help the facility identify the MSMEs so they can reach out to them and offer their products and services at affordable costs.
She added the Fab Lab will be charging their clients for the products and services at a rate lower than in the market for the facility’s sustainability.
Next week, the Sinergy Fab Lab will conduct free training for its clients.
The DTI Negros Oriental, headed by provincial director Nimfa Virtucio, signed a memorandum of agreement with Silliman University on the Fab Lab facility during the launching program. ||
