SERP-P members` meeting tackles value of knowledge exchange and collaboration

Some 60 participants from 33 academic and research institutions from all over the Philippines met for SERP-P`s Third Network Members` Meeting last November 20 in Makati City. The importance of making the fruits of socioeconomic research easily available to a wide audience to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration was highlighted in the event. The SocioEconomic Research Portal for Philippines or SERP-P is an online knowledge bank which contains completed, ongoing and pipeline research studies related to socioeconomic development and policymaking in the Philippines. Since its inception in 2000, SERP-P has grown into a network of 48 academic and research institutions from all over the country and now hosts over 5,000 studies in different formats. Studies that may be downloaded from the SERP-P include working papers, journal articles and discussion papers, to name a few. SERP-P was initiated and is being managed by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), a government policy think-tank based in Makati City. In his opening statement, PIDS President Josef Yap emphasized the important role of research and analysis in policymaking. He explained that one of the core mandates of PIDS enshrined in its charter is the establishment of a repository for economic research information and other related activities. He further stressed that SERP-P is an excellent platform that serves as a portal and one-stop repository for all socioeconomic policy studies in the country. Anyone who is looking for studies related to a particular socioeconomic issue can simply go SERP-P, do a search using keywords and browse through the studies available in the database. SERP-P is a valuable tool not only for policymakers in crafting research and evidence-based policies but also for researchers and students of the social sciences who are writing their theses and dissertations. SERP-P is currently linked to the Economic Resource Base for Legislators (ERBL), a website containing major socioeconomic bills filed at the House of Representatives. Member institutions of the SERP-P can directly upload their studies into the database, provide keywords, abstract, and even the full text of the papers. In the future, the SERP-P will include an inventory of social science experts in the country. Experts will be classified according to their fields of expertise. This experts` database is intended to promote knowledge exchange and research collaboration among social scientists in the Philippines. For the general public, a moderated forum is available so that users of the SERP-P can raise questions, interact and share information with one another. For more information about the SERP-P, visit the website at serp-p.pids.gov.ph. Or call PIDS at tel. no. 8924059 or email info@pids.gov.ph.