All is well at AIPO

When asked about his favorite innovation-themed movie, Dr. Proceso “Jon” Fernandez, Jr. (B.S. Computer Science ’94, M.S. Computer Science ’01, PhD Computer Science ’09) flashes a smile before answering “3 Idiots.”  The Indian movie—released in 2009— underscores the importance of friendship, compassion and finding one’s passion. Rancho, the main character, is smart but does not focus on earning good grades; learning and gaining knowledge that can be used for practical application are what matters to him.  He has an appetite for innovation, embracing new ideas and new ways of doing things.

 

Fernandez knows this all too well.  As the director of the newly established Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO), he is tasked to lead the University in advancing the commercialization of inventions and innovations that provide valuable solutions to real-world problems.

 

His curiosity was piqued

 

When Fernandez was in high school, a US-bound relative left him some books and a Texas Instruments pocket computer.

 

“I had an uncle who is an engineer and, for a very short while prior to migrating to the US, he lived with us in Quezon City. When he and his family migrated, he left us some computer engineering books and his pocket computer,” he recalls.  With his curiosity piqued,  Fernandez began fiddling around with the gadget and pored over the books.  He was so inspired that when it was time to choose a college degree, he only had one in mind: computer engineering.

 

At the time, Ateneo de Manila did not offer a stand-alone course in computer engineering—it was computer engineering paired with either physics or chemistry; Fernandez chose chemistry. However, two years into his studies, he didn’t feel the chemistry so he shifted to B.S. Computer. It was everything that he wanted.

 

“I like programming; I like developing systems. I think I’m good at systems thinking  so I took up computer science.”

 

While most newly-minted graduates were busy chasing job titles, Fernandez took the road less travelled: teaching.

 

“In Ateneo, we are taught to use our resources for the greater good. I was greatly influenced by my philosophy and theology courses, and I wanted to find out if I could make a difference through teaching, if there is a calling to teach,” he explains.

An opportunity to continue learning

 

Fernandez joined the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines Foundation, Inc. (JVP) and helped set up a maritime education academy in Bulacan.  Over the next few years, he continued to teach, this time in a progressive school in San Juan. In June 1997, he returned to the Ateneo to teach college level courses.

 

“I applied in the Department of Information Systems and  Computer Science (DISCS) but all teaching slots were filled up so I applied in the Math department,” he says. Five years later, he was able to get into DISCS, and even became the department’s acting chairperson and eventual chairperson from 2011 to 2014.

 

He continued to spread knowledge, mentoring young students in the field of computer science.  As a university, Ateneo’s eco-system of discovery is contagious—learning never stops so Fernandez also went to further his education, finishing his post-graduate and doctorate degrees in his beloved alma mater on a full academic scholarship.  He also stayed in Virginia Tech as a part of a DOST-PCASTRD (Department of Science and Technology -Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development) research program grant.   His dissertation “ On the complexities of the block sorting and poset cover problems” was awarded the  most outstanding dissertation by PCASTRD in 2009.

 

In 2013, Fernandez had a DOST-funded project, and this led him to being invited by DOST in 2015 to take part and be among the second batch of participants in the Leadership in Innovation Fellowship program. This leadership program aims to help innovators, researchers and technology entrepreneurs push their commercialization plans forward.  Mentored by the Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the United Kingdom, and also by some faculty members of the Asian Institute of Management, Fernandez gained insights on how to translate ideas into applications that will benefit the greater good and how to make these applications commercially viable. .

 

“There’s a business aspect to it— the product must address a real market need,” he notes.   Cognizant of the growing number of works by  students and faculty members from the  School of Science and Engineering (SOSE), Fernandez started to get serious about protecting and commercialization of the school’s outputs.

 

A fertile ground for fresh ideas

 

The Technology Management Office (TMO) was set up in 2017 to help commercialize SOSE’s research projects. The following year, Fernandez was asked to take charge. 

 

Leading TMO, Fernandez soon realized, was not a walk in the park. 

 

“Technology transfer takes a lot of time. There are many things to consider; the legal aspect alone is tedious. Researchers, he says, “are generally busy people, but they have to be involved in the commercialization process.”  Under his leadership, TMO  has helped find actual paying customers  for 3 projects: Exora  (a company that provides energy management tools), Tugon (a software platform for incident reporting and management) and Infant Phototherapy Incubator (an effective and low-cost neonatal care medical device for treating infants with jaundice). 

 

With more experiments and innovative ideas sprouting in the Ateneo,  the plan to create a unit that would look after the university’s Intellectual Property (IP) was soon on the horizon.

 

“What we had was an IP policy for SOSE and not on a university-level,” Fernandez says. 

 

In February, the University’s Board of Trustees approved a university IP policy, and this includes a provision for the creation of the AIPO. The new office is an integration of TMO and the Innovation and Technology Support Office of the Loyola Schools.  With his experience as head of TMO, Fernandez was tapped to lead the new office. 

 

The university, Fernandez said, is a fertile ground for fresh ideas, of technologies and innovations  that could bring real impact to the world.  And Fernandez envisions that within 5 years time, a Silicon Valley (home to the largest technology and innovation  companies in the USA) type of infrastructure would be established in Ateneo that will promote new technologies to flourish. 

 

“We have so many good students and faculty, and we want to help them innovate. We have begun setting up a system that will aid them, from ideation to commercialization of their inventions,” he says. “ 

 

Fernandez believes that technology has an impact on a country’s development, and nation-building is inherent in Ateneo’s DNA:  “I believe that we are making a difference. By providing support for our bright young minds to innovate and be rewarded for their innovations, we hope to bring about positive changes for our country and our future.”