More than P114 million worth of projects were funded by the government in 2009 to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

In a statement, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) said its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SET-UP) approved the funding of 120 projects for MSMEs last year. The program processed 331 proposals for the year, with a total amount of P211,480,420.90.

"Among the priority sectors, food topped the list of approved projects for MSMEs, while horticulture/agriculture and metals/engineering tied for second place. Furniture, and gifts, housewares, and decoration (GHD) came in third and fourth respectively, followed by aquatic/marine," the DoST said in a statement.

The DoST said in 2009 alone, the program provided 25,562 jobs, and gave technical assistance to 1,239 companies.

"It also served 473 start-up companies. It also transferred 20 patented technologies from DoST’s Research and Development Institutions (RDIs) to private firms for commercialization," the statement said.

On the other hand, "the Innovation System Support (ISS) topped the list of intervention for SET-UP beneficiaries. ISS interventions are aimed at improving products through the help of new technologies or innovative production processes. ISS also supports the acquisition of new production equipment to improve the production processes," the DoST said.

"Apart from the ISS, product packaging and labeling follow as the second most sought-after technology intervention among SET-UP’s beneficiaries. This intervention is vital to the products since packaging not only enhances the look of the product but also lengthens its shelf life. Good product packaging attracts consumers into buying the products on display. Meanwhile, labels are a market standard and contain important information on the product and its manufacturers," the DoST explained.