• The Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) launched the Services Subscription Program (SSP), a dynamic and innovative undertaking to establish a stronger linkage between technology and industry. This program is in response to the national goal of attaining the status of a newly-industrializing country in the year 2000.
  
  
• The Industrial Research Foundation (IRF), a SEC registered Corporate and DOST accredited Foundation is the partner of ITDI in SSP by being the catalyst that accelerates and the bond that harmonizes the relationship between ITDI and industry. Through the SSP, the contribution of S&T to industry by way of technical services and other technological inputs from the ITDI can help meet this NIC challenge.

• The trend towards globalization calls for the Philippine Livestock Industry to be competitive. The industry must face recent developments and the challenges of globalization by increasing its capacity to compete through greater productivity and production efficiency.
  
  Disease lowers both animal productivity and production efficiency. On the other hand, vaccination remains as a convenient and effective medical intervention for preventing the occurrence of animal disease. However, the country relies heavily on imported vaccines against economically important diseases like FMD, Hog Cholera, and NCD, among others.
  
  There have been government initiatives to fund projects on local development and production of vaccines using local isolates. It has been shown that Filipino scientists have the technical capability to develop our own vaccines, which are cheaper and comparable to, if not, better than the imported brands.
  
  
• This consultation will provide a forum where the obstacles in the path of greater Filipino production, distribution and use of animal vaccines, and the possibilities for export will be discussed. Recommendations for action are a desired result.
  

PROJECT BACKGROUND

• In early 1993, a few computer buffs in several universities got together and discussed the possibility of connecting to the Internet, the global network of networks.
  
  In June 1993, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its then Secretary Ricardo Gloria and then Undersecretary William G. Padolina underwrote the first phase of PHnet, set up by a young group of computer specialists (called the Technical Committee) from various universities.
  
  
• It consisted of a limited electronic facility with dial-up access to the internet through the Victoria University of Technology (VUT). Ateneo de manila University (ADMU) was the anchor access node that uploaded and downloaded email from VUT through long distance phone connections. In turn, the University of the Philippines in Diliman (UPD), De La Salle University (DLSU) and DOST would dial up ADMU and upload or download their email. Individual users then logged in to their host sites and checked their mailboxes to read and/or send email. It was expensive but so successful that the DOST in principle approved the funding for the second phase which was established a nation-wide network called PHnet and the Philippine Network Foundation (PFI), Inc., the organization to run and operate the network.

The DOST approached the Industrial Research Foundation (IRF) to organize and manage the second phase of the Philnet project. Dr. Rodolfo M. Villarica of IRF was chosen to be the project administrator. In November 1993, the grant-in-aid for P12.5 million was approved.