PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — THE country’s version of the famous Silicon Valley in California, USA will soon be replicated in Quezon City.
This, after the contract for the development of a new science and technology park at a University of the Philippines property along Commonwealth Avenue in Diliman has been formally signed.
The University of the Philippines has partnered with Ayala Land, Inc. for the development of the project, which is expected to further reinforce the status of the university as a premier educational institution.
Target companies to locate in the park include firms in the high-technology fields like telecommunications, telematics and biotechnology and in the area of high value business process outsourcing such as accounting, animation, software development, design and engineering services.
Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who is present during the contract signing, expressed optimism that the project would further strengthen the thrust of the city government toward becoming the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capital.
To date, Quezon City enjoys the highest concentration of ICT buildings and special economic zones in the country being home to more than 60 business process outsourcing companies, including Convergys, eTelecare International, Teletech, Sykes Philippines, Accenture and Globalstride, Sitel Corp., Call Asia, Epixtar International, among others.
“The project promises to be a magnet for fast-evolving high technology companies that would prove essential for the creation of a strong business and employment center in QC enough to provide more employment opportunities for its residents,” Belmonte said.
Thirty-seven hectares of UP’s Commonwealth property have been identified as the initial area for the project.
“This is the best possible use for our idle assets. It will expand our academic prerogatives, and help us to fulfill our mandate of being truly a national university, serving the interests of the nation,” said UP president Emerlinda Roman during the ceremonial contract signing held at the UP Executive House.
The idea of a S & T park attached to a university is no longer new. For some time, world-class universities have been setting up Science & Technology Parks adjacent to their campuses as a venue for industry and academe collaboration.
Aside from Stanford University’s Silicon Valley in Palo Alto, California, there are S & T parks in Bangalore and Hyderabad attached to the Indian Institute of Science and the International Indian Institute of Information Technology, respectively; the Tsukuba Science City at the University of Tsukuba in Japan; the Haidan Science China and MIT’s Route 128 in Massachusetts.