Partido State University (ParSU), through the Center for Sustainable Communities, and Kochi University of Japan formalized a research partnership on September 3, 2026, at Daragang Magayon Hall, University of Sto. Tomas-Legazpi, to strengthen community participation in the sustainable conservation of coastal resources.ย
The agreement covers the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development funded project "Promoting Coastal Resource Conservation Activities by Local Communities through Fostering Social Capital: Approach Using Public Goods Experiment," which examines how social capitalโthe networks, relationships, trust, and cooperation that enable communities to work toward shared goalsโcan support collective action in coastal resource conservation.
Using a public goods experiment approach, the research will explore how communities make decisions and cooperate to manage shared coastal resources. The findings are to provide research-based insights that can inform more sustainable and participatory approaches to coastal resource management.
In his message, ParSU President Dr. Arnel B. Zarcedo emphasized that the partnership between ParSU and Kochi University reflects a long-standing relationship that has invested in people, particularly ParSU researchers who trained at Kochi and are now applying what they learned to research benefiting coastal communities. The project also highlights how international collaboration can translate knowledge into local impact, particularly in coastal conservation.
Dr. Hiroyuki Ukeda, Kochi University President, likewise reaffirmed Kochi University's commitment to strengthening cooperation with ParSU and pursuing research initiatives that contribute to the understanding and conservation of coastal environments.
Leading the ParSU delegation was Dr. Zarcedo, who signed the agreement together with Dr. Project Leader Dr. Joela Mizchelle D. Dacillo and Vice President for Research and Extension Dr. Raul G. Bradecina. The signing was witnessed by the International Affairs Director, Ms. Leih Anne R. Odoรฑo, the Acting Research and Publication Services Division Director, Prof. Patricia M. Candelaria, and the Acting Director for Extension Services, Prof. Luisa M. Lanciso.
Representing Kochi University were Dr. Ukeda, Professor and Project Collaborator Dr. Teruyuki Shinbo, and Head of the Kuroshio Science Program Dr. Satoshi Kubota.ย
For ParSU, the agreement strengthens its commitment to internationalization and to research that addresses environmental and community concerns, building on the shared coastal and marine research interests of both universities.ย
By bringing together their research strengths, the collaboration is expected to create opportunities for knowledge exchange, collaborative research, and greater engagement among researchers, academic institutions, and local communities, while generating insights that can inform sustainable coastal resource management and contribute to meaningful community interventions and sustainable development.ย
๐๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ด: ๐๐ณ. ๐๐ช๐ฐ๐ช๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ ๐. ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ต๐ด: ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ญ๐ข ๐. ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐ค๐ข, ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐. ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ถ๐ข๐ญ
