Dagupan City hosted the 2026 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) from February 16 to 18 at CSI Stadia, with DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. leading a delegation of national and regional officials for a three-day program built around the theme "Science, Technology, and Innovation: Building Smart and Sustainable Communities." The event served as Region I's primary annual platform for showcasing research, startup development, and STEM initiatives across institutions and organizations in the region.

The more significant development came on the sidelines: Pangasinan got its first innovation hub.

What Happened at RSTW 2026

The event opened with exhibits that included an earthquake simulator, flood simulator, and educational technology demonstrations — hands-on installations that put science infrastructure in front of students and community members, not just conference attendees. Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez welcomed participants and used her solidarity message to make a direct case for the city's investment in innovation: "By investing in science and technology, we invest in the future — in solutions that are data-driven, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive."

National representation was substantial. DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Engr. Sancho Mabborang, Assistant Secretary Dr. Diana Ignacio, Presidential Assistant Secretary for Northern Luzon Ana Carmela Remigio, and directors from the Philippine Textile Research Institute and National Research Council were among those present. Region I Director Dr. Teresita Tabaog and Pangasinan Provincial Director Arnold Santos represented the regional and provincial levels. The breadth of attendance — from COA to PNP to local councilors — reflects how RSTW functions in practice: less a purely technical event and more a regional convening where government, academe, and community meet on shared ground.

The iHUB Launch at Universidad de Dagupan

The headline outcome of this year's RSTW was the inauguration of Pangasinan's first DOST iHUB at Universidad de Dagupan, led by UDD President Dr. Feliza Arzadon-Sua. The iHUB is designed as a physical and programmatic space for idea development, collaboration, and skills-building — part of DOST's national network of regional innovation hubs intended to bring startup and technology support closer to communities outside Metro Manila.

For Pangasinan, the timing is notable. The province already has the newly inaugurated ASIN Center at PSU Binmaley and a growing constellation of DOST-supported enterprises across Region I. An iHUB at UDD adds a dedicated innovation infrastructure point in Dagupan itself — the region's commercial and urban center — giving students, MSMEs, and aspiring founders a closer entry point into the ecosystem.

The iHUB is DOST's most accessible program format: it doesn't require a formal startup or a completed product. It's designed for the earlier stage — where an idea needs space, mentorship, and connections before it becomes anything investable. That's the gap it's built to fill, and Dagupan is a logical location given its concentration of universities, businesses, and government offices.

What This Means for Northern Luzon

Region I's innovation infrastructure is accumulating quickly. Within the span of a few days in February 2026, the region inaugurated a ₱93 million national salt R&D center in Binmaley and a new iHUB in Dagupan — both anchored in universities, both backed by DOST, and both oriented toward communities that have historically been served by programs designed in Manila. That pattern matters. The infrastructure for a genuine Northern Luzon innovation pipeline is being built institution by institution, city by city. The question now is whether the programs that run inside these facilities — the cohorts, the research partnerships, the founder support — move as quickly as the ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

Students, researchers, and early-stage founders in Pangasinan can engage with the newly launched iHUB through Universidad de Dagupan. For institutions across Region I, RSTW's program calendar and exhibit formats are worth tracking as annual touchpoints for visibility, partnership, and ecosystem building.

Source: City Government of Dagupan