Given its flexibility and extensive reach, a website is considered as an effective tool to achieve the purposes of communication: to inform, to educate, and to promote institutional programs and services. With this in mind, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCHRD-DOST) convened a meeting on Research Utilization (RU) and Making the Consortium Website Active last 19 January 2011 at the DOST Regional Office in Cebu City.

The PCHRD, headed by Ms. Merlita Opeña, Chief of the Research Information, Communication and Utilization Division (RICUD) discussed RU concerns of the Regional Health Research and Development Consortia (RHRDC) in Region VII and strategies on how to improve and maximize the use of the consortium’s website in advancing health R&D in the region.

During the meeting, Ms. Opena stressed the importance of having an active website in promoting research initiatives and activities of the consortium. “Our website is our window to the world. Its extensive reach makes it the best vehicle to promote what we are doing to our communities and researchers in the whole world,” said Ms Opena.

She also emphasized that research utilization is not just about libraries and information databases. “We should also bridge the gap between the researchers and the users of the technology. In promoting health research, we need to be creative and go outside our traditional way of doing things — to capture the fast development in health R&D.”