DoST aims to help 10,000 MSMEs adopt AI, robotics
Key Takeaways
- •DoST aims to raise the productivity of more than 10,000 MSMEs by promoting the use of AI, robotics, and automation.
- •The agency wants participating firms to improve productivity by 25% to 30% through its CUATRO program.
- •CUATRO also covers Industry 4.0 tools such as the Internet of Things, data analytics, smart manufacturing systems, AR/VR, and cybersecurity-ready digital infrastructure.
- •The AMERIAL Hub at the DoST-MIRDC in Taguig City will serve as the program’s main center for collaboration, training, technology acquisition, and consultation.
- •DoST plans to set up pilot sites in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and is also working through the PROPEL program to support more technology-based companies.
The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) on Wednesday said it aims to boost the productivity of 10,000 local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by helping them adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and automation by the end of the Marcos administration.
“The recent program that we are into is developing one-on-one engagements with MSMEs through a smart factory approach, where we will look into the way they operate and how AI, robotics, and automation can be used,” DoST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said in his keynote speech during the Sustainability Expo (SUSTEX) 2026.
The event was held in collaboration with DoST, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., and ARISE Philippines.
“We want to scale up (their) productivity by 25% to 30%. We hope to target more than 10,000 MSMEs in the next two years,” Mr. Solidum added.
Beyond AI, robotics, and automation, the program, called the Connected and Unified Autonomous Technologies with Automation and RObotics (CUATRO), also aims to help MSMEs adopt customized Industry 4.0 solutions.
According to the website of DoST’s Advanced Mechatronics, Robotics, and Industrial Automation Laboratory (AMERIAL), these include the Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, smart manufacturing systems, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and cybersecurity-ready digital infrastructure.
The AMERIAL Hub at the DoST-Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) in Taguig City serves as the program’s central hub for research and development collaboration, technology acquisition, training, and consultation.
MSMEs can choose from a portfolio of technologies and services applicable to their businesses, giving smaller firms a more structured way to assess tools that are often adopted first by larger manufacturers.
The CUATRO program also seeks to establish pilot sites across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to demonstrate the practical applications and benefits of Industry 4.0 solutions in various regional industries.
Mr. Solidum also said the agency, through the PROPEL program, is working with government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry to launch more technology-based companies locally and globally.
“We believe that Filipino technologies can be globally competitive because we are not simply developing innovations that are nice to have, but also those that we must have,” he said. — Edg Adrian A. Eva
