EDC, AIM to establish cutting edge Innovation Lab

IN a pivotal partnership aimed at fostering innovation, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) received a P10-million donation from the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) for the development of its First GenEDC Innovation Laboratory.

The memorandum of agreement (MoA) signing held on Feb. 2, 2024 at the AIM main lobby, marks a new chapter in the decades-old relationship between the Lopez Group and AIM.

This joint endeavor will serve as a catalyst for advancing AIM’s mission of driving innovation in business, technology and management across Asia.

During her welcome speech, AIM President and Dean Dr. Jikyeong Kang offered thoughtful insights into AIM’s rich history and its relentless pursuit of innovation.

Kang expressed deep gratitude to the Lopez Group of Companies for its unwavering support for AIM and its programs. She underscored the crucial role of the Lopez Group’s generous contributions throughout AIM’s history and emphasized AIM’s commitment to pioneering “new ways of thinking” that are fundamental to innovation.

Kang also expressed her delight at seeing AIM alumni from EDC attend the ceremony, now as partners in innovation.

EDC President and COO Jerome Cainglet, MBA 2006, reminisced about his time as an AIM student, expressing nostalgia for the institute that shaped his career.

He articulated EDC’s aspiration to “forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future,” stating that the First Gen-EDC Innovation Lab is strongly aligned with this mission.

Kang and Cainglet, along with representatives from both AIM and EDC, signed the MoA, cementing the partnership between the two organizations.

Among those who signed were Prof. Rafael Camus, academic program director of the Master in Innovation and Business; Erwin Avante, EDC chief financial officer; Joy Santamarina, EDC chief transformation officer; and Bryan Gerard Cabrera, executive managing director for Finance and Treasury of AIM Scientific Research Foundation Inc.