The Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) at MSU-IIT was inaugurated, and at the same event launched its new Ceramic Water Filter called Hydria on December 12, 2013.
The Hydria water filter can efficiently eliminate contaminants and as a low-cost water filter, it could help the community have clean drinking water and help reduce illnesses in communities with no or limited access to potable water.
ITSO
The ITSO in MSU-IIT is one of the network of offices serving all regions of the country which was established by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines ( IPOPHL ) in partnership with the World Intellectual Property organization ( WIPO ) to support intellectual property development.
This ITSO in MSU-IIT and others in the country were patterned after patent libraries abroad to serve as the institutional mechanism of IPOPHL for the protection of Intellectual Property ( IP ) rights and for researchers and innovators to access patent information. This is to foster innovation and technological development for the economic growth of the country.
ITSOs are franchised from IPOPHL by host institutions like MSU-IIT. The hosting of an ITSO at our premises will advance the Institute’s goal of becoming a research university since ITSO, through the patent system will foster innovation and development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem thereby advancing the economic growth of the country.
The ITSO in MSU-IIT is manned by faculty members and staff trained to become Technical Experts who have undergone training through a series of local trainings by IPOPHL and WIPO and through WIPO Distance Learning Modules serving the needs of researchers and innovators in the Institute and the community.
During the MSU-IIT ITSO inaugural program, eight Technical Experts were introduced and the salient points of the MSU-IIT Intellectual Property Policy of 2012 were presented and discussed with the attendees. The Intellectual Property Unit, a partner unit of ITSO in IP protection at the Institute, submitted six MSU-IIT patent applications to IPOPHL through Engr. Regybelle Joy P. Fuentes, the IPOPHL IP Field Operations Specialist.
HYDRIA
Also launched during the program was the Ceramic Water Filter named HYDRIA by its inventors, Professor Ephraim Ibarra and his former students, Jimbert Roda and Sergio Talaroc. It is in terracotta red because it is from the red clay available in Lanao del Norte.
The Hydria’s filter mount dimension is 11.0 cm in height and 21.50 cm in width with a 4.50 cm diameter as its mouth.
According to its announcement released by the ITSO, the Hydria is a cheaper alternative to expensive and imported water filters. It can be reused many times after cleaning. Only clean filtered water with its oxygen and unchanged mineral content drips into the water holding tank or clay jar giving the water a fresh and wholesome taste.
In contrast, according to the same source, most water filters are impregnated with colloidal silver killing bacteria. The Hydria red clay ceramic water filter, on the other hand, depends on the antibacterial properties of the iron content of clay hence its sanitary and economical alternative.
This new invention is a product of research and development at the Ceramic Training Center – Technology Application and Promotion Unit and the team of inventors, Roda and Talaroc and headed by Ibarra, faculty of the Department of Ceramic and Metallurgical Engineering of the College of Engineering (COE) and is Coordinator of the Ceramic Training Center.
Two Hydrias were raffled off to participants during the launching program. The two lucky winners were from the MSU-IIT COE and from the Iligan City Health Office. Marietta Esperanza P. Cruz, TAPU & ITSO for OC-OPI