Could there someday be something similar to Research Triangle Park in the Philippines?

RTI International aims to do so through a project called STRIDE.

Under a five-year, $32 million contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development, RTI International will seek to drive innovation and growth in the Philippines by fostering partnerships between universities and the private sector.

STRIDE is the accronym for Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development. RTI will be working with the U.S.-Philippines Partnership for Growth

The project was announced Monday.

“The Research Triangle Park’s model of collaborations among universities, industries and government is an example of how the Philippines science, technology and innovation system could work,” said Andrew Baird, senior economic growth specialist at RTI. He is the project’s director.

“RTI is both the product and partner of such a system,” he added. “We bring direct experience with universities and first-hand knowledge to create similar collaborations in the Philippines.”

RTI says its researchers and scientists will seek to form partnerships and relationships between universities and industries “to create a network of researchers, entrepreneurs and investors who innovate and turn ideas into products and companies. This will be done by helping industries become active stakeholders in university research, assisting universities to become market-driven providers, and building institutional structures to support and sustain this system.”

RTI was formed and launched as one of the first tenants in the Research Triangle Park, which is known internationally for the success of its leaders in forging private sector-public sector-university relationships. 

Part of the program will include offering faculty exchanges, scholarships for doctorate and master’s degrees, visiting faculty and mentors.

STRIDE aims to help Philippines industry “become more innovative and define their need for science and technology services, while enhancing the capacity of universities to respond and train students,” RTI says.

University partners in the U.S. include Florida State and the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.

“Our long-standing Philippine presence and established partnerships, combined with our subject matter expertise, make us well suited to implement the STRIDE program,” Baird said.

[RTI ARCHIVE: Check out more than a decade of RTI stories as reported in WRAL Tech Wire.]