Innovations for green urban development win big at 2025 Socially Relevant Technologies Project
December 16, 2025
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) celebrated groundbreaking innovations for greener, more sustainable cities at the 2025 Socially Relevant Technologies (SRT) Contest.
The SRT is an annual competition that recognizes IP-protectable green technologies, with the goal of showcasing Filipino ingenuity and innovation and promoting the effective use of patent information in developing solutions for social and environmental challenges.
The contest also aims to advance sustainable development in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year’s theme, “Sustainable Urban Development and Green Solutions,” spotlights innovations that demonstrate how technology can advance SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
The final judging and awards ceremony took place last November 28 at the University of Makati, featuring five finalists each in two categories.
In the Professional category, the top prize of P75,000 was awarded to SALTRIC Electric Power Generation Services for the Marissa Turbine, a device that harnesses the kinetic power of ocean waves to generate electricity.
In the youth category, the P50,000 top prize went to HerbaLens, a mobile app designed by students at the University of Makati that identifies medicinal plants through image capture.
Full list of finalists and their rankings below:
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY:
1st Place: A Floating Generator Device With Vertical Axis Turbine
Saltric Electric Power Generation Services / Ateneo de Manila University
2nd Place: GH-Gaz: A Method of Preparation and Composition of A Sorbent Composition For Sulfide Removal in Natural Gas
LITHOS Manufacturing
3rd Place: An Oil Restoration Apparatus
Aldepulla Industrial Oil Restoration Services & Consultancy
Finalists:
Project TANAW: 3D-Printed Urban Model with Geohazards Simulations Using Virtual Environment and AR Projection Mapping
Samar State University – Main Campus
ECO-BRICKS: From Waste to Worth for Inclusive Circularity
De La Salle University
YOUTH CATEGORY:
1st Place: Development of HerbaLens: A Medicinal Plant Image Capture Application
University of Makati
2nd Place: Project BANGKA: Bioluminiscent-based Active panel for Night-fishing light Generator and Knowledge Advancement
Batangas State University
3rd Place: ShelfGuard: An Enhanced Food Preservation System
St. Paul University Philippines
Finalists:
ORCAS: Oil Recovery Clean-up Automated System
De La Salle university – Lipa
WattWise: Pioneering Smart Power Strip System for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
St. Paul University Philippines
The SRT Project is spearheaded by IPOPHL’s Documentation, Information, and Technology Transfer Bureau. Details about this year’s contest mechanics may be found here.