Text by Jennifer Manongdo
Photos by Sarah Hazel Moces Pulumbarit
Two meetings held separately on Feb. 3, 2026, between officials of the University of the Philippines Manila and representatives from the U.S. Embassy and New Jersey’s Rowan University reflected positive developments, as both U.S.-based delegations expressed interest in exploring potential investment and academic collaboration with UP Manila.
UP Manila’s Technology Transfer and Business Development Office organized the meeting with representatives from the Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Manila on Feb. 3, 2026. It delved on possible pathways for Philippine health technologies to expand into the U.S. market. It featured presentations on Manila HealthTek technologies, the Augmented Experience E-health Laboratory (AXEL) Immersive Gamification Technology System (ImGTS), IFix, Probiotics, ETox, Novel Antigen Peptides, among others.
Innovators and researchers provided an overview of their healthcare-focused technologies that are ripe for commercialization and international collaboration.
Christopher Feather, Commercial Officer of the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, expressed interest in collaboration for technology commercialization and investment facilitation through the SelectUSA Tech program.
The SelectUSA Tech Program supports international technology startups planning to expand to the U.S. market through foreign direct investment (FDI) by networking and mentorship opportunities.
Feather invited UP Manila’s innovators and officials to participate in the 2026 SelectUSA Investment Summit in May to personally meet executives from international companies and land investment deals.
Feather was joined by his colleagues Sofia Ordoña and Jeanne Santiago.
In another meeting facilitated by UP Manila’s Office of the International and Local Linkages led by Dr. Vivien Fe Fadrilan-Camacho, Rowan University Chancellor Anthony Lowman discussed potential areas of collaboration with UP Manila in terms of practical training and capacity building for medical students. Dr. Lowman also proudly shared that six faculty members from UP Los Baños recently completed their doctoral degrees at Rowan University and have since returned to serve the university.
“With regards to medical education, that is really the focus of our visit today. We’ve met with the consul general maybe five times in the last year and a half or so, on our campus, to talk about the opportunities we could provide. It is with medicine, dual degree opportunities, training opportunities at our various medical schools, as well as opportunities in the different allied health professions and nursing,” Dr. Lowman said.
UP Manila and Rowan University officials expressed intention to create a formal agreement stipulating the terms of their partnership and cooperation.
Dr. Lowman was accompanied by the Dean of Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Richard Jermyn; Consul General of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, Senen Mangalile; Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Rowan College of South Jersey,
Lita Marcelo Abele, and their consultant, Robert Dumaual.
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