Research Congress

Theme:  Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Responsible Innovation

Inherent to human nature is an innate desire for exploration, creativity, and the generation of innovative ideas – traits that have significantly contributed to our survival and the shaping of cultures and societies. Central to the process of innovation is research, playing a pivotal role in identifying needs, uncovering gaps, and discerning opportunities for advancement across diverse domains. Research acts as a catalyst for problem-solving and the conceptualization of novel ideas in services, processes, and technology, while also influencing the formulation of regulatory frameworks.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a significant achievement arising from modern research endeavors. AI holds the promise of expanding research horizons, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing educational methodologies, and automating processes for increased efficiency. Concurrently, however, ethical concerns and potential challenges arise with the integration of AI. As with any groundbreaking concept, a comprehensive examination of its moral, social, environmental, and economic dimensions is imperative. Responsible innovation is a way to make sure that progress follows what society values, tackles important issues, and helps everyone develop sustainably. It extends beyond technological and economic considerations to encompass the broader impact on individuals, communities, and the global ecosystem, striving for an equitable and harmonious future.

Theme: Lessons from the Pandemic: Reinventing the Next Normal

In March 2020, the world thought that COVID-19 would just come and go, and life would go back to normal. Less than a year into the pandemic, researchers found this as an opportunity to push further the sustainability agenda by endeavoring green recovery plans. The pandemic had demonstrated valuable changes which can be carried over through the crisis, including telecommuting as a viable partial substitute for face-to-face work. The pandemic had also created new challenges needing attention, e.g. increased plastic pollution.

Entering into the third year of the pandemic, it is becoming more apparent that COVID-19 is here to stay and the world would have to learn how to live with it. Thus, there is a challenge to the government, industry and academic community to reimagine and reinvent how things are done, in consideration of the threats existing and future pandemics present. For example, there is a huge opportunity to innovate on how business is done, as evidenced by the growth of e-commerce; more efficient contact tracing approaches can be made using digital technologies; the socio-economic and cultural implications of the pandemic need to be understood; supply chains and resources need to be analyzed; the responsiveness of healthcare services needs to be improved; the effectiveness of e-learning needs investigation; and energy security and ample transport services need to be ensured.

Theme: Revisiting and Transforming the SDGs during and after the COVID 19 Pandemic

In 2015, the United Nations identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a comprehensive action aimed to address poverty, guarantee peace and to safeguard the planet by 2030 (https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html).  Five years after  and ten years to fulfill the targets, now is an opportune time to assess how the goals are being implemented and achieved by the UN member states. Doing so becomes more significant when the tremendous and disproportionate social and economic impact of the COVID 19 virus this year and beyond is mentioned. As people are now given an opportunity to re imagine and to shape their life in a post pandemic world, it is relevant to look into how the SDGs could be used as a framework for the world’s continued progress.

Theme: Building Resilient, Innovative, and Sustainable Societies

The world faces various types of natural calamities (such as earthquakes, typhoons, droughts, forest fires, and volcanic eruptions, among others) which have devastating effects on people and communities. Aside from this, man-made disasters (such as major fires, explosions, transportation accidents, and release of toxic substances into the environment) may also occur, thereby posing threats and hazards to society.

To address these challenges, researchers can create new knowledge and propose solutions that will mitigate the negative impacts of these challenges and turn them into opportunities. The DLSU Research Congress 2020 highlights the need for societies to cope and recover from these challenges by generating knowledge and by pursuing resilient, innovative, and sustainable development approaches.

Theme: KNOWLEDGE BUILDING TOWARDS INDUSTRY 4.0

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to bring disruptive socio-economic shifts as a result of the introduction of emerging technologies that will change business models and lifestyles. These shifts will inevitably create both opportunities and threats. Research universities play an important role in acting as the “leading edge” of society, by creating new knowledge that allows for more dynamic and adaptive responses to these disruptions. De La Salle University’s 2019 Research Congress, with the theme “Knowledge Building towards Industry 4.0,” highlights the role of university research in responding to various aspects of the imminent Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Theme: Building Impact on Firm Foundations (From Basics to Applications)

Basic research serves as the bedrock and firm foundation for building impactful applications to sciences and humanities, which can be put together to solve real problems on poverty, gender, energy, disease, business, and economy. Seeing things (e.g. products, technologies, and processes) with a new perspective brings back the excitement and simple joy of curiosity and discovery, propelling us to the next level of scientific breakthroughs and innovations.

Theme: The ASEAN ECOSYSTEM @ 50: Change for a more inclusive growth

Fifty years after the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), member nations saw changes and improvement in the lives of their citizens. The march towards sustainable development and inclusive growth continues to take place. The ASEAN communities must strive to sustain scientific, socio-cultural, technological, economic, and political growth driven by innovation and efficiency, accompanied by lasting peace, security, stability, as well as shared prosperity and social progress.

Theme: Responding to the Challenges of the ASEAN Integration

We invite the academic community, our partners and research collaborators to submit abstracts and full papers related to the following research themes:

Theme: #ResearchforSustainable Future

We invite the academic community, our partners and research collaborators to submit abstracts and full papers related to the following research themes:

Theme: Towards Rigorous, Relevant and Socially Responsive Lasallian Research

The Research Congress 2014 is an annual event of De La Salle University where researchers, educators and students share their research outputs. It is a venue for discussion and exchange of ideas. It is where collaborative research partnerships are forged.

Theme: Commitment to Serve: Lasallian Research for the Next 100 Years

Theme: Remembering the Past, Living the Present, and Creating the Future

Theme: Green S and T Advances: 100 Years and Beyond