AIRCoDe Kicks Off DOST-PCIEERD-Funded University Policy Hub Project Powered by BERT
The AI Research Center for Community Development (AIRCoDe) of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) officially commenced its newly approved externally funded research project, "University Policy Hub with AI-Driven Question & Answering using BERT," through an initiation meeting held on June 16, 2025, at The Natuk, Iriga City.
The AI Research Center for Community Development (AIRCoDe) of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) officially commenced its newly approved externally funded research project, "University Policy Hub with AI-Driven Question & Answering using BERT," through an initiation meeting held on June 16, 2025, at The Natuk, Iriga City.
Funded with a grant of ₱1,000,000.00 from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), the project is implemented under the Good Governance through Data Science and Decision Support System (GODDESS) Program. It is scheduled for implementation from April 2025 to April 2026.
The project is led by Mr. Joseph Jessie S. Oñate and supported by a multidisciplinary team composed of programmers, researchers, administrative personnel, and a graduate student intern.
The programming team includes Mr. Allan O. Ibo Jr. and Mr. Vincent T. Cortez, both serving as Project Staff Level III (Programmers). Ms. Kaela Marie N. Fortuno serves as Project Staff Level III (Researcher), while Ms. Maria Daisy R. Belardo and Ms. Mariane Christine C. Lico provide administrative support as Project Administrative Aide I. The team is further supported by Ms. Jillian Lourdes N. Orante as the project's Graduate Student Intern.
During the initiation meeting, the team discussed the project's implementation framework, timelines, expected deliverables, ethical considerations, and collaboration strategies with relevant stakeholders. Initial activities will focus on dataset collection, system architecture and design, and the development of a user-centered interface.
The University Policy Hub aims to establish a centralized, AI-powered platform that will make institutional policies more accessible and easier to understand. By leveraging Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), a transformer-based natural language processing model, the system will enable users to interact with institutional policy documents through an intelligent question-and-answer mechanism using natural language queries.
Through this initiative, AIRCoDe seeks to harness artificial intelligence and data science to support institutional transparency, improve access to information, and promote more informed and efficient governance.
The project further reinforces CSPC's commitment to research excellence and digital transformation by developing innovative AI-driven solutions that respond to institutional needs and contribute to better governance.
AIRCoDe extends its gratitude to DOST-PCIEERD for its continued support in advancing research and innovation through externally funded initiatives.