Engr. Albert Samuela and Ms. Geraldine Buela, along with student interns involved in the ASCEND project, met with representatives from the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) Technical Panel for Chemistry and the Office of Programs and Standards Development (OPSD) at the University of the Philippines Diliman on July 10, 2025. 

The meeting focused on presenting ASCEND, a proposed database platform designed to bridge academic institutions and chemical industry. During the discussion, the CHED Technical Panel for Chemistry expressed openness to supporting the initiative, citing its potential to strengthen collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs) and industry partners.

JP Dela Cruz of CHED noted that projects like ASCEND, especially those aligning academic research with industry needs, are of particular interest to the panel. CHED encouraged the proponents to formally propose the project in partnership with the Technical Panel and to highlight its benefits for both CHED and HEIs to secure possible endorsement and funding. A “pilot implementation” was recommended as the initial step to move the project forward.

The ASCEND platform will feature only publicly available information from HEIs and chemical companies, with sensitive content protected as intellectual property. CHED affirmed that private organizations could lead the effort, provided the project plans are well-defined.

To streamline development, CHED advised starting with Chemistry before expanding to Chemical Engineering, as the latter’s technical panel is currently being reorganized. Additionally, the project will outline how industry partners can contribute—whether through funding, internships, or employment opportunities—to help revise and enhance the chemistry curriculum in line with real-world demands.