(Photo grabbed from DOST-1 Facebook page)
MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology - Region 1 (DOST-1) has provided PHP5 million assistance to a firm that ventured into surgical mask production, Secretary Fortunato de la Peña reported.
ModulHaus Incorporated of Agoo, La Union, sought the DOST's Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) assistance for this initiative in 2020, he said in a Viber message on Monday.
SETUP is DOST's nationwide program that aims to encourage and assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in adopting technological innovations to improve their products and operations. With this program, the DOST helps improve the MSMEs' productivity and competitiveness by providing them a loan that is payable in three years.
"Albeit a startup, the project was funded through SETUP as it is an innovative project and a considerable Covid-19 initiative," de la Peña said.
The firm's new venture not only aims to mitigate the shortage of surgical masks in the region, but to also help sustain the surgical masks' availability in the market at a lower cost, he added.
ModulHaus' four-ply face masks branded as "Safe Tech" are packed in a box with 25 pieces of face masks.
The firm is yet to commercialize its new product line as it is still waiting for its license to operate from the Food and Drug Administration, according to de la Peña.
As of this month, ModulHaus has produced the first batch of its surgical masks.
De la Peña reported that the funding assistance was used to buy one automatic mask-making machine and two automatic ear tape applicator capable of producing 739,200 surgical face masks per month. (PNA)
ModulHaus Incorporated of Agoo, La Union, sought the DOST's Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) assistance for this initiative in 2020, he said in a Viber message on Monday.
SETUP is DOST's nationwide program that aims to encourage and assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in adopting technological innovations to improve their products and operations. With this program, the DOST helps improve the MSMEs' productivity and competitiveness by providing them a loan that is payable in three years.
"Albeit a startup, the project was funded through SETUP as it is an innovative project and a considerable Covid-19 initiative," de la Peña said.
The firm's new venture not only aims to mitigate the shortage of surgical masks in the region, but to also help sustain the surgical masks' availability in the market at a lower cost, he added.
ModulHaus' four-ply face masks branded as "Safe Tech" are packed in a box with 25 pieces of face masks.
The firm is yet to commercialize its new product line as it is still waiting for its license to operate from the Food and Drug Administration, according to de la Peña.
As of this month, ModulHaus has produced the first batch of its surgical masks.
De la Peña reported that the funding assistance was used to buy one automatic mask-making machine and two automatic ear tape applicator capable of producing 739,200 surgical face masks per month. (PNA)
