Saint Louis University (SLU) and Empitech Innovation Startup formalized a license agreement and conducted a ceremonial turnover of 25 Contact Tracing using Automated Collection and Tracking System (ConTACTS) devices on 16 December 2025 at the Gerard Decaestecker Hall, SLU Navy Base Campus marking a significant collaboration at the intersection of education and innovation. This activity was part of the SLU Research, Innovation, and Sustainable Extension (RISE) Center’s Innovation Initiative, which aims to enrich robotics and strengthen the technical competencies of teachers and students, as well as the integration of robotics in research.
The license agreement signing and turnover ceremony was participated in by SLU officials led by Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD, and Engr. Sean Ernest B. Empizo, founder of Empitech Innovation Startup, and witnessed by the SLU BEdS administration led by the school principal, Mr. Alejandro P. Pablico; Assistant to the Principal for Administrative Affairs, Mr. Roy C. Asignacion; and Assistant to the Principal for Academic Affairs, Mrs. Lorna E. Lucas.
Under the agreement, SLU received 25 ConTACTS units developed by Engr. Empizo, an SLU alumnus whose undergraduate research culminated in the creation of the devices during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Designed for contact tracing, ConTACTS gained recognition for its practical, locally engineered response to an unprecedented public health challenge.
The signing also included a licensing provision that enables Empitech to work closely with SLU BEdS, particularly in areas such as innovation, research, and prototyping, as well as Arduino-based development. Mr. Andrew G. Ducas, Innovation and Technology Transfer Officer at SLU RISE, stated that the partnership reinforces SLU’s commitment to experiential learning and industry-linked instruction, ensuring that emerging technologies are translated into classroom-ready applications.
From Undergraduate Research to Real-World Impact
In his talk, Engr. Empizo traced the origins of ConTACTS to his undergraduate years, when pandemic-related constraints prompted the development of a low-cost, privacy-conscious contact tracing solution. He detailed the evolution of the device from concept to deployment, emphasizing perseverance, iterative design, and collaboration as pillars of his technopreneurial journey.
The ConTACTS units feature microcontroller-based architecture, short-range communication capabilities for proximity detection, onboard data logging, and configurable firmware that allows adaptation for learning environments. Designed with modularity in mind, the devices can be used as instructional tools for electronics, programming, and systems thinking—extending their relevance well beyond their original public health purpose.
Advancing SDGs Through Education and Innovation
The initiative directly supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education by strengthening hands-on, technology-driven learning and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure through university–industry collaboration and product development.
By bridging academic instruction with real-world innovation, the SLU–Empitech collaboration aims to cultivate a pipeline of learners equipped to design solutions for societal challenges. As the ceremony concluded, both institutions expressed optimism that the partnership would inspire a new generation of innovators while institutionalizing a model for sustained, outcomes-driven collaboration. (Article by Almark Bisaya, SLU BEdS SHS Science Teacher | Photos by SLU BEdS)
