The journey of biomedical engineering at De La Salle University spans over three decades of innovation, education, and research excellence. From humble beginnings as a manufacturing engineering program to becoming a premier institute for biomedical technologies, our evolution reflects the growing importance of healthcare technology in modern society.

Each milestone in our timeline represents not just institutional growth, but the dedication of faculty, students, and partners who believed in the transformative power of biomedical engineering education and research in the Philippines.

A One-Stop-Shop for information and support infrastructure on biomedical devices/equipment & health technologies research in the Philippines.

• A Lab-to-Market Roadmap for R&D projects under the research areas of the Philippine Harmonized National R&D Agenda in Health, particularly in the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA). It strengthens biomedical devices/equipment & health technologies researchers through sharing of ideas, experience, and technical expertise.

• A Go-to-Centers for researchers, scientists, engineers, clinicians, industry practitioners and innovators that focus on biomedical devices and hospital equipment researches. It will include Interdisciplinary research centers in the future such as for Robotic Assistive & Rehabilitation Devices; Robotic Surgical Devices & Technologies; Biomedical Devices & Technologies for Animals; Neurorobotics Technology Center, IBEHT Commercialization Hub and Calibration and Safety Testing Center. It promotes collaborative, multi-department, interdisciplinary research projects as well as joint proposals for funding from external sources.

• A Venue for the application and initial screening process of the foreign MSc and PhD Scholarships on Biomedical Engineering degree program supported and funded by DOST-SEI. It enables the community with capacity building activities such as trainings, workshops, seminars, and other similar events.

EDA-IBEHT is dedicated to advancing biomedical engineering and health technologies through comprehensive research, education, and innovation initiatives.

• Research & Development - We conduct cutting-edge research in biomedical devices, health technologies, and engineering solutions that address critical healthcare challenges in the Philippines and beyond.

• Education & Training - We provide world-class education in biomedical engineering through our academic programs, professional development courses, and capacity building initiatives for researchers and practitioners.

• Innovation & Collaboration - We foster partnerships between academia, industry, and healthcare institutions to translate research into practical solutions that improve patient care and health outcomes.

• Technology Transfer - We support the commercialization of biomedical innovations through our lab-to-market programs, helping researchers bring their discoveries to real-world applications.

• Increase the R&D collaborations with academe, industries, funding agencies and end-users for the Biomedical Devices Innovation and Health Technologies research.

• IP Protection for all research projects under EDA-IBEHT and bring the developed devices and technologies into commercialized products.

• Increase quality publications on Scopus and referred journals as well as in high impacts conferences.

• Establish the Go-to-Centers for biomedical devices and hospital equipment such as the Calibration and Safety Testing Center as well as the thematic centers.

• Fund raising to construct a four-story building to house the different Research Centers under the auspices of EDA-IBEHT.

• Transform EDA-IBEHT into a University Institute that offers MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering Program by Research.

• Spearhead the creation of the Philippine BioRegions through the NICER Program of the DOST – Science for Change (S4C) Program.

The Philippine BioRegions initiative represents our vision to establish regional biomedical technology hubs across the archipelago, bringing healthcare innovation closer to communities nationwide.

Each BioRegion will serve as a local center of excellence, providing access to biomedical engineering expertise, research facilities, and technology development resources.

This initiative aims to democratize healthcare technology development, enabling local researchers and healthcare providers to address region-specific medical challenges and needs.

Through the BioRegions network, we will foster nationwide collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity building in biomedical engineering and health technologies.

EDA-IBEHT Operational Personnel

Prof. Nilo T. Bugtai, PhD

Founding Director EDA-IBEHT

Slide 1 of 7

EDA-IBEHT Advisory Board