THE Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology has been awarded prestigious grants from the Flemish government in Belgium to its two pioneering initiatives aimed at enhancing education and research excellence in Southeast Asia.

These projects are SEABREEZE (Southeast Asia Biostatistics Research and Education Empowerment for Zonal Excellence) and RISE (Reading Initiatives with Stakeholders Engagement: Breaking the Walls of Learning Poverty).

They are spearheaded by Prof. Daisy Lou Polestico from the College of Science and Mathematics in partnership with Hasselt University (Belgium) and Assoc. Prof. Shelanee Therese Ruales from the College of Education (CED) along with Katholieke Universitiet Leuven (Belgium), respectively.

“Prof. Polestico’s project focuses on developing master and PhD programs in biostatistics in the Philippines and Indonesia. It aims to address the increasing demand for biostatisticians to tackle public health issues, such as dengue and environmental degradation,” MSU-IIT said.

“The project, aligning with Agenda 2030 of the Philippine government and SDGs, encompasses inclusive education and research, promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships between universities and government organizations. Key activities of this project include training PhD students from partner universities, organizing workshops and facilitating academic exchanges,” it added.

On the other hand, the RISE project of Assoc. Prof. Ruales, aligned with the country’s National Learning Recovery Program, aims to support the government’s vision of an inclusive society with quality education.

“It empowers not only grade 3 Filipino learners to become independent readers, but also equips educators through courses covering reading pedagogy, instructional material development and action research,” the school said.

MSU-IIT has received several Belgian grants, including a 2022 Short Initiative project on mineral mining led by Prof. Joey Genevieve T. Martinez, and an ongoing International Training Program on Citizen Science initiated by Prof. Polestico, in collaboration with Visayas State University.