Something for Filipino TikTok users, not just to enjoy but also learn more Filipino scientific achievements and developments as the Department of Science and Technology Research and Development – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) partnered with TikTok to boost promotion of Filipino-made technologies.

During the virtual launch, DOST-PCIEERD inked a Memorandum of Understanding with TikTok to promote Filipino technologies through its science communication TikTok account @pinoyscience.

DOST PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit said this collaboration is a big boost for the scientific community as it continues to reach out to Filipino netizens and garner support to innovations developed by Filipino researchers.

"Communicating science to the public has always been a challenge for our researchers. As a leader and partner in enabling innovations, we are excited with this collaboration with TikTok as a new avenue for us to share distinctly pinoy innovations through this social media platform," he said.

DOST-PCIEERD's account on TikTok

This partnership with TikTok is a six-month collaboration where TikTok will be providing training for researchers on how to use the platform for science communication, promotion of Filipino technologies, and conduct contests for the Filipino TikTok community.

The first contest is through the #PinoyInnovator hashtag challenge which intends to show how creative and resourceful Filipinos are. Through this challenge, common household items will be creatively used to develop a nifty innovation. The winners of the challenge will be hailed as the "Pinoy Science Innovator 2021." They will be announced in April 2021.

Another contest that will be launched is the #PinoyScience hashtag challenge which challenges TikTok users to explain the science behind DOST PCIEERD's supported scientific projects.

The #PinoyScience hashtag challenge will run from April to July 2021. Three winners will be announced every month starting May 2021.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the DOST PCIEERD to help promote awareness and understanding for science and innovation, as well as inspire the Filipino youth to discover their creativity and talents. Inspiring creativity and bringing joy is at the heart of what we do at TikTok," said Kristoffer Rada, TikTok Head for Public Policy.

"TikTok is committed to helping facilitate education and learning in the Philippines. Through our #LearnOnTikTok series, we will be working with creators to produce more educational content on the platform," he added.

Follow DOST-PCIEERD at https://www.tiktok.com/@pinoyscience. For inquiries on this partnership or request for collaborations, send an email to pinoyscience.dostpcieerd@gmail.com.