COLINET Holds General Assembly and Election of Officers at USM
October 24, 2025
PhotoSynth, a startup team composed of DOST scholars from the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), proudly represented the Philippines during the International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) 2025, held on October 22–23, 2025, at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), Malaysia.
Nystee Margotte Diaz, a science education student, and Joyshaira Kate VM Toribio, a civil engineering student represented the team. As one of the startup awardees of the Scholars Technopreneurship Training Program (STTP) under the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) and the DOST Regional Office XII, PhotoSynth joined over 120 exhibitors and thousands of participants from across Asia to promote technology-driven innovation for sustainability and community development.
Representing the Philippine delegation, the USM team showcased its innovation, ChloroMeds, at the StartUps Village, one of the main highlights of IDECS 2025. The exhibit attracted attention from various industries, offices, and agencies, including the Malaysia Bioeconomy Development Corporation, which expressed interest in exploring future collaborations with the team.
PhotoSynth’s participation underscored USM’s growing role in advancing research and innovation beyond the national level, aligning with the university’s vision of being a globally competitive institution committed to innovation and societal impact.
PhotoSynth’s involvement in IDECS 2025 was made possible through the support of the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) and Leave a Nest Philippines, Inc., which provided avenues for international exposure, collaboration, and learning among emerging Filipino innovators.
Text: Rico John Gorieza, Former EIC, The Mindanao Tech, USM Alumnus
