KCIC-IPO

LNU Earns Top National Honors, Bags Platinum Award for Innovation Excellence

Leyte Normal University (LNU), through its Intellectual Property Office (IPO), achieved another milestone after receiving national recognition at the 2026 ITSO Presidents’ Summit held on March 25, 2026, in Iloilo City. The recognition highlights the University’s growing leadership in innovation, research productivity, and intellectual property (IP) management in the Philippines.

During the summit, LNU was conferred the prestigious Platinum Cluster Award, one of the highest distinctions within the Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) Network. The award recognizes institutions that demonstrate outstanding performance in intellectual property generation, protection, and innovation development.

In addition to the Platinum Cluster Award, the University also received two Special Citations for its remarkable achievements in intellectual property creation. These citations were granted in recognition of LNU’s filing of more than 50 copyright applications and over 10 patent applications, reflecting the institution’s strong culture of research and innovation.

The recognitions underscore LNU’s continued commitment to strengthening its research ecosystem and encouraging its academic community to transform innovative ideas into protected intellectual outputs that contribute to national development.

Representing the University in receiving the awards were University President Dr. Gil Nicetas Villarino, IPO General Manager Dr. Jefferson Flores, and IPO Technical Expert Prof. Vanessa Tagaro.

This achievement further reinforces Leyte Normal University’s position as a leading institution in intellectual property development and innovation, advancing knowledge creation and supporting technology transfer initiatives that benefit both the academic community and society at large.

LNU Faculty Registered a Utility Model

Prof. Ma. Chrischelle Bullecer, a faculty member of Leyte Normal University, successfully registered a utility model titled “Biological Plant and Animal Cell Staining Agent Using Syzygium curanii and Potassium Alum.” The innovation was inspired by her classroom experience and her commitment to promoting equitable science education.

While teaching biology at a public high school, Prof. Bullecer witnessed the persistent lack of standard laboratory staining reagents—an essential tool for observing cell structures. Without these materials, students were often limited to learning through charts and theoretical explanations. As she shared, this limitation “does not help in truly understanding cell morphology,” highlighting the challenge faced by many science educators and learners in resource-limited schools.

Motivated to address this gap, she pursued further studies and eventually developed a safe, affordable, efficient, and accessible alternative staining reagent that enables students to directly observe plant and animal cell structures in the laboratory.

The innovation was developed in collaboration with Mr. Romnick Hidalgo, with guidance from Prof. Facundo Rey Ladiao and Prof. Maricel Gomez. The utility model is envisioned for broader classroom use, particularly in public high schools and secondary institutions with limited laboratory resources, helping bring quality science learning closer to Filipino learners.

As a Normalista, Prof. Bullecer’s innovation reflects a strong commitment to research that is inclusive, practical, and responsive to the real educational needs of the country.