SETUP — Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program

SETUP — Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program

Offers technology adoption support and refundable seed financing for Philippine enterprises through DOST regional offices.

The Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) is DOST's nationwide, continuously open technology-adoption support programme for Filipino-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises. Funding is delivered through the Innovation System Support Fund (iFund), structured as a refundable, no-interest advance that covers equipment acquisition costs. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through DOST Regional Offices across the Philippines; there is no centralised application window or competitive cut-off deadline. Enterprises must be wholly owned by Filipino citizens — no foreign majority ownership is permitted.

The programme funds technology adoption and upgrading across manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, and hardware-related sectors, among others. Required documentation includes a project proposal, a refund commitment letter, three years of CPA-signed financial statements, and valid business permits. Government agencies, local government units, and academic institutions with business-like operations are also eligible alongside private MSMEs. In May 2026, DOST formalised a partnership with Land Bank of the Philippines that added co-financing loan tiers: PHP 500,000 for startups and up to PHP 50 million for expanding MSMEs. These Land Bank tiers are separate loan instruments, not iFund advances.

SETUP is administered at the provincial level through DOST Regional Offices, which assess local needs and process applications independently of DPMIS. The iFund advance amount per project is not standardised publicly and is determined by the approved technology upgrade plan. Enterprises that receive iFund support are required to sign a refund commitment, making this instrument a recoverable advance rather than a non-repayable grant. SETUP also bundles training and product-testing support alongside the financing component, providing a package of technical assistance in addition to the financial advance.