USAID/Philippines’ Innovative Development through Entrepreneurship Acceleration (IDEA) project is a three-year public-private partnership with the Philippine Development S&T Foundation, Inc., (PhilDev) a Filipino diaspora organization linked with Silicon Valley. IDEA fosters partnerships with the private sector, government, non-governmental organizations, and academia to spark Filipino engineering and science students, researchers and start-up entrepreneurs into transforming their innovative ideas into products and businesses.

IDEA brings a culture of entrepreneurship into the growing engineering and science programs in the Philippine higher education system. It brings a market-oriented lens to the university curriculum for research-oriented science and engineering higher education programs, which will strengthen human capacity and effectiveness of market-relevant workforce skills in the country.

The IDEA project contributes to the goals of the Partnership for Growth (PFG). A White House-initiated “whole of government” partnership between the U.S. Government and the Government of the Philippines, PFG aims to shift the Philippines to a sustained and more inclusive growth trajectory on par with other high-performing emerging economies.

ACTIVITIES
IDEA leverages resources to scale up PhilDev’s existing entrepreneurship program which trains Filipino engineers and scientists in business planning, market identification, product marketing, business incubation, and venture capital. IDEA also holds annual international entrepreneurship symposia for Philippine universities featuring U.S. professors and entrepreneurs; conducts entrepreneurship workshops for Filipino engineering scholars; and organizes a Visiting Professor Program that allows American and Filipino professors to evaluate engineering and science programs, and infuse entrepreneurship into their curriculums.

GOAL
To strengthen entrepreneurship training and culture in the engineering and science programs in the Philippine higher education system.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Strengthen entrepreneurship program in Philippine engineering and science higher education institutions
• Engage a greater network of private and public partners to ensure the long-term sustainability and scalability of the program
• Create linkages among U.S. professors and universities, entrepreneurs, investors and other leaders to partner towards innovative solutions on critical development problems

TARGET AREAS

Nationwide, including in USAID Cities Development Initiative sites:

• Batangas City
• Cagayan de Oro City
• Iloilo City
• Puerto Princesa City
• Tagbilaran City
• Zamboanga City