The DA-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), through the Aquaculture Research and Development Division (ARDD) headed by Dr. Joseph Christopher Rayos, presented the Aquabusiness School and Technology Business Incubation (ABS-TBI) Program during the “FishCoRe Technical Workshop” on May 6-7, 2024, at Hive Hotel and Convention Place in Quezon City.

Dr. Rayos presented the ABS-TBI framework, concept, project rationale, accomplishments, and outputs during the “Technical Workshop on National Guidelines and Criteria for Livelihood Project Provision within FMAs 6 and 9,” which is part of the ongoing implementation of the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) project.

“NFRDI has pioneered the establishment of ABS-TBI, which provides a venue for education, research for development extension, business or entrepreneurship set-up services, and the transfer of various matured aquaculture technologies,” said Dr. Rayos.

“With this strategy, the ABS-TBI promotes innovation and techno-prenuership for the socio-economic development of our stakeholders, particularly our fish farmers and fisherfolk. This program is timely for the crafting of the guidelines and criteria for granting livelihood projects under the FishCoRe project,” he added.

The FishCoRe workshop aimed to finalize the guidelines for identifying and distributing livelihood interventions under the MARLIN (Modern and Resilient Livelihood Investments) sub-component 2.1, specifically to review current livelihood packages and standardize their specifications and provisions across beneficiaries and Regional Fisherfolk Coordination Units of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. ### (Niko Macaraeg)