By Mirielle Vacal
After a nationwide search that evaluated 764 submissions through the Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits by Cluster (ClusteRICE) 2025, the Department of Science and Technology - Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) is set to hold the 2026 National Invention Contest and Exhibits (NICE) on April 27-28, 2026, at Acacia Hotel Manila, Muntinlupa City.
Serving as the national culmination of ClusteRICE, NICE 2026 brings together 28 official finalists from across the country, representing some of the most promising Filipino inventions, utility models, industrial designs, and creative research projects with strong potential for real-world application, technology adoption, and commercialization. Read more here: DOST-TAPI Brings Reg’l Grassroots Innovators to the National Stage at NICE 2026.
From the regional level to the national stage, NICE 2026 reflects a structured innovation pipeline that helps identify, elevate, and support technologies that address real needs across communities, industries, and emerging sectors.
This year’s finalists span a wide range of solutions and categories under the Tukas, Unlad, Banghay, Likha, and Sibol Awards, covering areas such as health, agriculture, mobility, disaster resilience, digital technologies, environmental sustainability, and student-led innovation.
For DOST-TAPI, NICE 2026 serves as a pathway for promising technologies to gain wider visibility and connect with opportunities for further development, adoption, and commercialization.
“Behind every innovation is a Filipino innovator trying to respond to a real challenge or improve everyday life through science, creativity, innovation, and persistence,” said DOST-TAPI Director Atty. Marion Ivy D. Decena, CESO III. “Through NICE 2026, we aim to provide a national platform that helps bring these technologies close to the support, visibility, and opportunities they need to move toward wide use and great impact.”
Entries featured in NICE 2026 underwent screening and evaluation based on technical merit and innovation, socio-economic impact, commercialization readiness, and category compliance. These criteria help identify technologies that demonstrate both innovation and strong potential to address real-world challenges and needs.
Beyond the competition proper, NICE 2026 opens opportunities for finalists to be linked to DOST-TAPI’s relevant programs and services, including support for intellectual property protection, technology development, financing, commercialization, and possible international exposure.
Anchored on the Institute’s mandate to promote the utilization and commercialization of Filipino technologies, NICE 2026 strengthens DOST-TAPI’s continuing efforts to guide promising innovations from early recognition to broader opportunities for development and adoption.
As the country continues to face evolving challenges and opportunities, NICE 2026 highlights the role of Filipino ingenuity in developing practical, science-based, and locally-driven solutions.
Join us as we celebrate “Limitless: Innovation Beyond Boundaries” and witness the local technologies and ideas helping define the next era of Filipino invention.
The National Invention Contest and Exhibits (NICE) is one of the flagship components of the Institutional Support for Technology Exposition (ISTE) Program that aims to strengthen marketing, promotion, and support for DOST-generated technologies and homegrown inventions. This is anchored on the Republic Act 7459, or the Inventors and Invention Incentives Act of the Philippines. The program underscores the government’s commitment to nurturing Filipino innovation for national development.
The Department of Science and Technology -Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) is one of DOST's service agencies whose primary responsibility is to promote the commercialization of technologies and market the services of other operating units of the Department. It was created by virtue of Executive Order No. 128 on 30 January 1987.
If you want to learn more about the programs and services of DOST-TAPI, you may email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., call us at (02) 8582 1450, or visit our DOST-TAPI Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DOST.TAPI) for more details.
