21/07/2026
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
The Office of the Vice President for Business Affairs (OVPBA) of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) strengthened its initiative to establish the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) CLSU Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology (KIST) Park through a high-level consultation meeting with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) on July 16, 2026.
The consultation forms part of the continuing collaboration between CLSU and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of the Science City of Muรฑoz to promote investment, innovation, and technology-driven economic development in the region.
During the meeting, the Science City of Muรฑoz presented its proposed economic zone developments, including an agro-industrial park and an information technology park, aimed at supporting agro-processing, manufacturing, logistics, IT-business process management (IT-BPM), and other knowledge-based industries.
Dr. Karenina B. Romualdo, Vice President for Business Affairs and Chair of the SEZA CLSU KIST Park, who joined the delegation from the Science City of Muรฑoz. The consultation was led by Mr. Ludwig O. Daza, Department Manager of PEZA's Ecozone Development Department, together with Ms. Kyle Paula N. Espinoza, Project Development Officer, to discuss the establishment of PEZA-registered economic zones that will enhance regional competitiveness and attract strategic investments.
A key highlight of the consultation was CLSU's presentation of its proposed SEZA CLSU Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology (KIST) Park, a flagship initiative envisioned to transform the University's research outputs into market-ready technologies while strengthening collaboration among the academe, government, industry, and innovation stakeholders.
The proposed KIST Park is envisioned as an innovation ecosystem that will support research commercialization, technology transfer, startup incubation, business innovation, and industry partnerships, further positioning CLSU as a catalyst for science and technology-based economic development.
Complementing the KIST Park proposal, CLSU also introduced its plan to establish a 4-hectare Pharmaceutical Economic Zone (Pharmazone) aiming to attract investments in pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and development, and innovation while contributing to the country's efforts to strengthen local pharmaceutical production and improve access to affordable medicines.
The consultation culminated a series of technical meetings and collaborative discussions between CLSU and the Science City of Muรฑoz that helped align development priorities, identify strategic investment opportunities, and refine the proposed ecozone concepts in preparation for PEZA registration.
The initiative reflects CLSU's continuing commitment to expand its role beyond instruction, research, and extension by fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, and sustainable economic development.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment among CLSU, the Science City of Muรฑoz, and PEZA to work collaboratively toward the establishment of specialized economic zones that will position CLSU and the Science City of Muรฑoz as leading hubs for agro-industrial development, science, technology, innovation, and knowledge-based industries in Central Luzon.
