Launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation

Launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation 

26 February 2026 | 09:00 AM to 01:00 PM

at Manila Hotel

Overview 

The National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation (NAICRI) serves as the country's central institutional anchor for AI research, advanced computing, and innovation—providing continuity beyond individual projects and funding cycles.  

It addresses a critical structural gap in the national AI ecosystem: fragmented infrastructure, limited data availability, weak research-to-deployment pathways, and the absence of a durable institution to coordinate and sustain AI capabilities beyond individual projects and funding cycles; as well as the country's limited capacity to develop and operate sovereign frontier-scale AI models. 

Rather than duplicating existing efforts, NAICRI builds upon and integrates capabilities already being developed across the DOST system and partner institutions, progressively transforming them into reusable, scalable national assets.  

The Center positions AI as national infrastructure—underpinning public-sector modernization, research excellence, industry competitiveness, and inclusive development—with continuity beyond political cycles.  

NAICRI will serve three primary functions:  

  • Research Coordination and Governance Layer: Providing institutional leadership for national AI research priorities, partnerships, and standards, coordinating efforts across government, academe, and industry.  
  • Infrastructure Backbone: Enabling shared AI compute, storage, networking, and MLOps capabilities that support validated applications developed under national programs.  
  • Platform and Services Hub: Operating AI platforms, data systems, and reusable AI templates that agencies and partners can adopt for sectoral applications in health, disaster risk reduction, agriculture, traffic management, and other priority areas. 

Featured R&D Programs & Projects

 

AI-Powered Weather Forecasting for a Resilient Philippines (AI4RP) 

The AI-Powered Weather Forecasting for a Resilient Philippines (AI4RP), also known as Project Gabay, is a collaborative initiative between DOST-PAGASA, DOST-ASTI, and U.S.-based AI meteorology company Atmo Inc. to enhance the country's weather forecasting capabilities using artificial intelligence.  

The system delivers high-resolution forecasts at 10 times higher resolution than prior regional forecasts, enabling weather patterns to be tracked at the neighborhood level with 2km horizontal resolution, 14-day lead times, and 15-minute forecast generation. Specifically calibrated for the Philippines' unique weather patterns and trained on local meteorological data, the AI model is self-correcting and continuously improving to provide faster, more accurate forecasts for disaster preparedness, agricultural planning, renewable energy optimization, and infrastructure protection.  

Deployed in 2024 and strengthened through a February 2025 data-sharing agreement, AI4RP represents the Philippines' commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to protect lives and build resilience against the country's 20+ annual typhoons and increasingly unpredictable extreme weather events. 

 

 

Geospatial Analytics and Technology Solutions (GATES) Program 

The GATES Program harmonizes DOST's vast datasets across key sectors into a single, integrative, and interoperable platform powered by geospatial analytics and AI. Through four interconnected projects, GATES establishes AI-ready data architecture, builds the DOST Data Lakehouse infrastructure, develops geospatial analytics interfaces with decision-support tools, and ensures policy alignment and capacity building for sustainability.  

By breaking down data silos across DOST agencies and regional offices, GATES enables cross-agency collaboration and transforms information into actionable insights for science-based governance. The program operationalizes the National AI Strategy (NAIS-PH) through geospatial intelligence and is envisioned to become a core part of DOST's institutional framework for data-driven decision-making. 

 

 

Computing and Archiving Research Environment (COARE) 

COARE is the Philippines' national high-performance computing and cloud facility, established in 2014 at DOST-ASTI to provide free access to computational resources for students, researchers, and data analysts.  

COARE delivers three core services: High-Performance Computing (HPC/Supercomputing) for processing massive datasets, Science Cloud for virtual machines and cloud-based applications, and Data Archiving for research data storage. The facility supports diverse scientific domains including numerical weather prediction, climate modeling, bioinformatics, genomics, marine science, and disaster management, serving institutions such as PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, Manila Observatory, UP-PGC, and numerous academic and government agencies.   

During the COVID-19 pandemic, COARE played a crucial role in supporting national response efforts by providing computing resources for systems like FASSSTER, S-PaSS, and genomic analysis projects.  COARE continuously reinforces this culture of safety and preparedness by supporting DRRM measures through PHIVOLCS projects ACER, DYNASLOPE, GeoRisk, and UP Resilience Institute’s Project NOAH, which collectively aim to empower local communities with openly accessible, accurate, and timely risk-based information.  

By fostering collaboration through a unified platform for data storage, analysis, and sharing, COARE enables evidence-based policy and decision-making that contributes to national development.   

 

 

Philippine Research, Education, and Government Information Network (PREGINET) 

PREGINET is the Philippines' only national Research and Education Network (REN), providing high-speed, reliable Internet infrastructure to support research, education, and government services by interconnecting universities, research institutions, and government agencies with state-of-the-art networking technologies.  

PREGINET offers direct connectivity to international RENs including APAN, TEIN-CC, and SingAREN, with links to Hong Kong, Singapore, and the USA, enabling Filipino institutions to participate in global collaborative research. The network provides value-added services including videoconferencing, video streaming, VoIP, and eduroam (education roaming), which allows seamless Wi-Fi access at participating institutions in over 100 countries. PREGINET facilitates user-communities in agriculture, bioinformatics, disaster mitigation, distance education, telemedicine, and network technologies, fostering innovation and collaboration across sectors. By providing specialized infrastructure that commercial ISPs cannot match, PREGINET catalyzes research and innovation while positioning the Philippines within the global research and education community. 

 

FASTRAC Lite: Development and Validation of Robot for Optimized and Autonomous Mission-Enhancement Responses (ROAMER)  

The ROAMER Project has developed a prototype autonomous unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) designed to track, survey, and map banana farms. The system substantially aids agricultural farm managers and operators by providing field data that helps them monitor resources more effectively and improve path planning for chemical administration such as fertilizers.   

These prototypes serve as learning platforms, paving the way for the development of field-ready autonomous vehicles tailored for mission-specific agricultural purposes. ROAMER addresses critical challenges in the Philippine banana industry, particularly the threat of Fusarium wilt, by enabling better resource monitoring and precision agriculture practices. 

 

 

iTANONG: A Natural Language Interface to Databases for Filipinos  

iTANONG is a homegrown AI solution developed by DOST-ASTI that enables natural-language access to databases and documents for Filipinos. By supporting English, Tagalog, and Taglish, it addresses linguistic inclusivity while removing technical barriers such as SQL and coding requirements. The platform combines Text-to-SQL and Retrieval-Augmented Generation to deliver accurate, data-driven answers from both structured and unstructured sources.   

Designed for secure, on-premise deployment, iTANONG ensures data privacy and sovereignty for government and enterprise users. It supports inclusive governance, education, research, and MSME productivity by democratizing access to information. 

 

 

 

Nexus for Artificial Intelligence Research and Applications (DOST-NAIRA) 

DOST-NAIRA consolidates existing AI infrastructure and initiatives into a shared AI-as-a-Service platform. DOST-NAIRA brings together COARE high-performance computing, the DIMER model repository, and iTANONG natural language tools under one virtual hub—with ready-to-use datasets, pre-trained models, and drag-and-drop modules that make AI accessible to non-specialists. Through AIgnite MSMEs and cross-sector partnerships, NAIRA is building Filipino AI talent and accelerating adoption from Metro Manila to the regions. 

 

 

 

 

 

Democratized Intelligent Model Exchange Repository (DIMER) Component

DIMER is the AI-as-a-Service platform at the core of DOST-NAIRA, providing a centralized hub for AI model sharing, reuse, and deployment. Deployed on cloud and COARE infrastructure, DIMER offers standardized workflows that enable research partners and agencies to transition prototype models into operational environments. The platform integrates outputs from multiple ACABAI-PH components while providing scalable AI models, curated datasets, and drag-and-drop modules for users across government, academe, and industry. A core strategy of DIMER is to consolidate fragmented AI initiatives into one virtual hub, reducing duplication and maximizing reuse. DOST-NAIRA prioritizes scaling DIMER into a production-ready platform with mature deployment workflows.

 

 

 

 

Vision-Based Adaptive Intelligent Traffic Control with Artificial Intelligence (vBANT.AI) Component

vBANT.AI is DOST-NAIRA's component for establishing an intelligent traffic monitoring and analysis framework specifically tailored to Philippine urban traffic scenarios. The system leverages computer vision and AI-accelerated edge computing to detect, classify, and track vehicles—with particular emphasis on endemic Philippine vehicle types like PUJs, tricycles, and motorcycles that foreign-trained models struggle to recognize. In collaboration with MMDA-TEC, the team has compiled traffic datasets from strategic Metro Manila locations under both daytime and nighttime conditions, enabling development of locally-optimized AI models. The component addresses limitations of traditional methods (manual counting, loop detectors) by providing non-invasive, scalable, and intelligent traffic monitoring that can interface with existing traffic control infrastructure for adaptive actuation. 

 

 

 

Mus3o Component

Mus3o is DOST-NAIRA's AI-enabled heritage digitization initiative. Using computer vision, advanced imaging, and 3D reconstruction, the project creates high-precision digital twins of national cultural and natural artifacts—capturing intricate details for research, education, and conservation. The vision is to transform these digital replicas into interactive learning tools accessible to future generations.

Within NAIRA, Mus3o also serves as a data-intensive proving ground—validating imaging pipelines, model training workflows, and integration with shared AI platforms, while advancing the Philippines' capabilities in heritage science.