Saint Louis University (SLU) kicked off the four-day celebration of homegrown research and innovations across disciplines on 23 March 2026 at the Diego Silang Building, SLU Main Campus with the annual “Innovations in Creatives, Research, Extension and Technology” or iCREaTe led by the SLU Research, Innovation and Sustainable Extension (RISE) Center.
Themed “Transforming Society Through Research, Innovation, & Extension,” the event will run until 26 March 2026.
SLU Vice President for Academic Affairs, Felina P. Espique, PhD gave the opening remarks anchored on a spirit of collaborative discussion and exploration, highlighting researchers’ importance and describing them as companions on the journey towards truth. “iCREaTe is not merely a conference, it is a declaration. It is our University’s public affirmation that we do not study the world simply to understand it. We study the world because we intend to make it better,” Dr. Espique said. She went on to underscore the tendency of student researchers to undervalue their work, reminding them that breakthroughs begin humbly. “Beginning matters enormously. Every significant discovery in human history started as a question in someone’s mind– often a young mind, often an uncertain one. Do not underestimate what you are doing. You are practicing the most important habit of the educated person,” she said.
Dr. Espique thanked faculty researchers, promoters and extension workers, describing them as the intellectual backbone of the institution. She challenged the participants, “Let us pursue research that does not merely describe and impress, but [one] that heals, builds, connects and liberates,” citing Missio et Excellentia not merely as a motto, but a reminder and methodology for the institution.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the research exhibit followed, led by Dr. Espique and SLU RISE Center Director Richel L. Lamadrid, PhD, joined by the various deans and associate deans of the University.
After the opening ceremony, participants were led to the Fr. Francis Gevers Hall to formally begin the evaluative process of reviewing the studies by student researchers participating in the event, starting with the paper presentations of the School of Accountancy, Management, Computing, and Information Studies (SAMCIS) in the morning of 23 March. Papers from the School of Nursing, Allied Health and Biological Sciences (SONAHBS) were featured in the afternoon of the same day.
The discussions that will feature the academic competencies of the Louisian students in research will continue until 26 March 2026. On the 24th, the papers from the Extension program and the SLU Basic Education School (BEdS) will take center stage. On the 25th, presenters from the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) and the School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts (STELA) will then discuss their studies. On the last day, the 26th, the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), School of Law (SOL), and the School of Medicine (SOM) will then share their findings, culminating with the closing ceremony, which will acknowledge the most exceptional research papers and the overall conference’s participants.
As an undertaking that ensures a competent Louisian community both locally and globally, iCREaTe 2026 strengthens SLU’s dedication to upholding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4 (Quality Education) and 17 (Partnership for the Goals). Such initiatives ensure quality education and innovative development by the university’s stakeholders. (Article by Kemm Mitchell Olarte, UIO Intern / Photos by John Aaron Bagni, UIO Intern)
