Blog No.1 [Blog-A, No.1] Our Blog ALL ABOUT THE INVENTSCHOOL in general Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the InventSchool | PART ONE by Rafael Nelson M. Aboganda | January 28, 2021 Brief History The beginnings of the InventSchool: 1967-1972. The germ of the idea of the InventSchool was initiated in 1967 by a small group of young college graduates and students who published the ART NewsMag and organized the Samahang Maharlika (Samahar), an association dedicated to the promotion of creativity in arts-and-literature and innovation in science-and-technology. Samahar launched the Samahar Roving School (SRS), a mobile school that ‘moves’ around the “university belt” in Manila, Philippines conducting short courses on creativity in arts and design, photography, journalism and tourism for college students. The SRS, the precursor of The InventSchool, is a travelling (mobile) school for creativity in arts and literature, and science and technology. The fundamental concept of the InventSchool, as we know it today, was started on May 11, 1970 when the Philippine Inventors Commission (PIC) and Filipino Inventors Society (FIS) agreed to implement a creativity training program for inventors and young inventive talents, and organize “creative societies” (student inventors’ associations). On June 24, 1970, PIC-FIS launched the Creativeness and Inventiveness Development Program (CIDP) to promote technological creativity among students, teachers and professionals. The program enlisted the organizers and principal lecturers of Samahar-SRS. Establishment of the InventSchool: 1973. February, Rafael Nelson M. Aboganda and Ricardo S. Cortez (Samahar organizers) with Jose Marte Torres (CIDP lecturer on patenting), Cesar C. Villariba, Jr. (creativity trainer in Lateral Thinking) and Fernando Ubaldo, Jr., (creative researcher, inventor of Ovulonics Watch) organized a small business organization called Likhaan Institute for Creative Studies and Technological Innovations, later renamed and registered on June 15 as Imbensyon Pilipino (IP), to provide creativity training, promote innovation, encourage inventive activities and develop local inventions, their manufacture and marketing as new products. On July 7, IP formally organized the InventSchool as a creativity training unit with Villariba as managing director. The first orientation seminar under the InventSchool entitled “Creative Dynamics” was held on August 5, 12, 19 and 26, 1973 (four Saturdays) in a makeshift classroom at the residence of Ubaldo in Quezon City. Early years of the InventSchool: 1974-1989. Since 1971, seminars on “creative thinking, problem- solvingxxxxx INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-1 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part One | Page 1 INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-1 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part One | Page 2 solving and invention development” under the PIC creativeness program were conducted in major cities in the Philippines by Basilio V. Espiritu (FIS president, CIDP team leader), Rizal C. Alejaga (CIDP coor- dinator lecturer), Aboganda, Cortez, and Torres. Aboganda left PIC in 1974 and continued the InventSchool seminar-workshops. In 1975, Imbensyon Pilipino was transformed into the Creativity Re- search and Development Foundation, Inc. (CRADFI) and carried out the seminars on creativity and invention development under the InventSchool program. In 1980, Aboganda with Ernesto A. Forcadilla, Mario P. Pantoja, Renato A. Forcadilla and Alexander A. Azucena, organized a private foundation called Likhaan Institute Foundation, Inc. to fully implement the InventSchool educational program. In 1981-84, the InventSchool program was implemented by Likhaan in partnership with the Philippine Inventors Commission (PIC), later renamed Philippine Invention Development Institute (PIDI). Research studies on Creatology as a new science of creativity was set in motion. In December 1981, “Seminar- Workshop on Creativity & Invention Development (SWCID)” for students and faculty members were held in Manila. SWCID participants were organized into InventGroup, later to be called InventClub. Subsequently, in early 1982, seminar-workshops were continued in different schools in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. During the February 1982 Inventors’ Week, the 1st National Conference on Technological Creativity & Invention Development featuring the 1st National Congress of InventClubs was held. February 25, the InventOrganization of the Philippines (IOP) was organized. By November, school-based InventSchools and InventClubs have been organized in 25 colleges and universities in Metro-Manila. The Asia-Pacific InventSchool was launched in 1983 through an audio-visual presentation during the celebration of the 17th National Inventors Week, dubbed as Philippine Inventions Expo ’83, held on February 20-26. The 2nd National Conference on Technological Creativity & Invention Development Invention Development highlighted by the 2nd National Congress of IOP (InventClubs) was held on February 21-23. In August, at the instance of PIDI, the Philippine Invention Development Foundation, Inc. (PIDFI) was established and took over LIFI’s role in the InventSchool. Training courses continued to be conducted in different schools, colleges and universities throughout the country. By mid- 1984, PIDI started offering basic and primary creativity and invention development courses to business and industry sector with Budget/Finance Secretary Salvador M. Enriquez, Jr., Dr. Serafin D. Talisayon and RNM Aboganda as principal lecturers. From 1985 to 1987, LIFI formulated the general institutional scheme of The InventSchool International. Meanwhile, PIDI published an InventSchool textbook on Technological Creativity and Invention Development (TCID) combining basic and primary courses. The Regional Workshop on Invention Development and Innovation was held on November 25 to December 6, 1985 in Manila under the sponsorship of PIDI and PIDFI, with financial assistance from WIPO-UNDP. In 1986, Likhaan prepared lecture-workshop guide on TCID Intermediate course. August 18-20, the first and only TCID Intermediate course of The InventSchool was conducted by RNM Aboganda at the training school of Telestar Industries in Davao City. January 30, 1987, PIDI was abolished. TCID training, however, continued up tomiddleoxxx INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-1 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part One | Page 3 to middle of the year. Likhaan Institute took over The InventSchool during the second semester. ICF was divided into two associations, the InventClub Federation (ICF) composed of student InventClubs, and the InventSchool Faculty Organization (ISFO) composed of faculty members involved in the InventSchoolTM program. Scientific & Technological Creativity (SciTeC) course replaced TCID training courses. Early 1988, Likhaan called for the revival of the celebration of Philippine Inventors’ Week and pro- posed the holding of a Festival of Filipino Inven- tions. September 21, The InventSchool Interna- tional, Inc. (TISI) was re- positioned as a corporate institution of Likhaan and registered with SEC, Reg. No. 155808 issued on September 29. February 19-26, 1989, LIFI in asso- ciation with FIS, support- ed by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the World Intellectual Proper- ty Organization (WIPO), the “3rd Festival of Filipino Inventions” was celebrated at the Ninoy Aquino Nature’s Park in Quezon City. A half-day conference on The In- ventClub and The Invent- School Program was organized by LIFI and WIPO with Mr. Farag Mousa, head of WIPO’s section for relations with international organizations and promotion of innovation in developing countries, as special guest speaker. May 11- 13, the “1st Summer Institute on Scientific & Technological Creativity” for teachers was held at the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) [now Mapua University], Manila. In September, social invention was included in the educational programs of The InventSchool. Middle years of the InventSchool: 1990-2005. The InventSchool continued conducting SciTeC course program―basic and primary courses―at irregular intervals. TISI continued developing the intermediate and advanced SciTeC course designs and training materials. In 1991, LIFI-InventSchool continued developing Intermediate SciTeC course design, training materials and SciTeC textbooks. In 1992, the intermediate course was divided into two: Intermediate and Advanced courses. August 1993, “1st Orientation Seminar Workshop on Thinking, Creativity and Creativexxx INVENTSCHOOLTM BLOG-1 | Brief History, Milestones and Chronology of the INVENTSCHOOLTM Part One | Page 4 Creative Teaching for Teachers & Educators” was held at Lourdes School of Quezon City. The InventSchool continued holding SciTeC courses―basic and primary―for students on limited scale at MIT and Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). In 1994, with the recommendation of then Budget Secretary Salvador M. Enriquez, Jr., InventSchool sought financial support from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and endorsement from the Department of Education, Culture & Sports (DECS) for the organization of InventClubs, but inspite of continuous follow-up, DOST and all its agencies disregarded the InventSchool program. In August 1995, the Institute for Social Invention (ISI) in London, UK cited The InventSchool in its publication, Best Ideas - A Compendium of Social Innovations and