THE Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) formally launched on Tuesday the SUC Fair 2022 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.

The fair runs until Friday, July 1, featuring various products and innovations from state universities and colleges’ research and development (R&D), as well as a daily cultural show from the regions.

CHEd Chairman J. Prospero de Vera 3rd was joined by incoming House speaker Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Philippine Normal University President Dr. Bert Tuga in striking the gong, symbolizing the three components of the SUC Fair 2022: sustained excellence, unified efforts and competitive standards.

“This SUC Fair now shows the hard work and talents of our state universities and colleges through their research and extension programs as they are exhibiting their products. This SUC Fair features the best of the products of our SUCs and we hope [the public] can sample some of their products,” de Vera said.

He also encouraged those visiting the fair to share the products with their friends and family so that these could be successfully produced for commercialization.

With the theme “Promoting Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Culture and the Arts for National Development and Global Competitiveness,” SUCs showcase various agri-craft and agri-food products, educational products, scientific and technological products, and other products of innovations.

“This SUC Fair is a manifestation of SUCs’ resiliency, tenacity and desire to move forward toward full recovery and the new normal education,” Tuga added.

He also said that the SUC Fair 2022 was part of the celebration of the National Higher Education Day and the Founding Anniversary of CHEd in May.

De Vera emphasized that the current administration has invested in higher education to ensure the development of innovations from universities and colleges and produce quality graduates.

“It is under this [Duterte] administration that we have given the most funds to universities for the use of IT (Information Technology), Technology Mediated Learning, the Smart Campus initiative. We’ve given grants for engineering equipment, medical equipment. [We’ve] give them funds for research,” he added.

The SUC Fair 2022 closes Friday with an awarding ceremony for SUC participants, including awards for Best Booth, the Jingle Competition and the Photo Contest.