Misamis University (MU) has officially entered into a partnership with the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), an agency under the Department of Science and Technology, through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on March 12, 2025.

DOST-PCHRD, based along General Santos Avenue in Bicutan, Taguig City, Metro Manila, serves as the lead secretariat of the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS). Among its many initiatives, the Council developed the Health Research and Development Information Network (HERDIN), an online platform designed to share and promote institutional health research outputs nationwide.

As part of the agreement, DOST-PCHRD will provide training and technical support to MU researchers and staff in utilizing the HERDIN system. It will also introduce new features to enhance user experience and implement robust data security measures to protect institutional information.

MU has likewise committed to sharing its research outputs with the DOST research network, including the Science Library Integrated Management System, and to making metadata available on platforms such as Google Scholar. The university will also collaborate with PNHRS to develop new programs and services that will further advance the country’s health research ecosystem.

This partnership is expected to significantly increase the visibility of MU’s health research by integrating it into the HERDIN platform and the broader online health research ecosystem. Through this collaboration, MU will contribute valuable research data to a national database, enabling wider reach and greater impact within the scientific and academic communities. In particular, this enhanced visibility increases the likelihood that MU’s research will be discovered and cited by both local and international scholars in health-related fields.