As Chairman of the ICT Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), GPM President Erik Nielsen attended the launch of a new Industry Lab on October 22, 2026. The Lab will have an initial budget EUR40 mill provided by the EU and will pave the way for enabling Filipinos to move from being AI users to being AI creators.

The ECCP hosted its ???????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? at the Makati Shangri-La, bringing together government, diplomatic, and industry leaders to explore how AI can advance national priorities and strengthen the Philippines’ economic competitiveness, security, and innovation.

Centered on the theme "Intelligent Industries: AI at the Core of Economic Growth and Security,” the event highlighted responsible AI use in governance, cyber resilience, and enterprise scaling. Against the backdrop of the Philippines' ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026, the conversations served as a vital avenue to align national AI agendas with regional digital integration goals and foster deeper technological collaboration between the Philippines and European frameworks.

During the program, keynote presentations from Hon. Dr. Renato Solidum, Jr., Secretary of DOST Philippines, and H.E. Massimo Santoro, Ambassador of the European Union in the Philippines, were delivered, followed by a ceremonial signing between DOST and the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines for the ????????–???????????????????????????????????????????? ???????? ????????????.

This Lab is part of the EU’s €40 million (approximately PHP 2.85 billion) digital cooperation with the Philippines under the Global Gateway strategy, and reflects a shared commitment to building a human-centric, trustworthy and inclusive AI ecosystem that benefits businesses and people on both sides.

The event was also joined by Hon. Leandro Angelo Y. Aguirre, Department of Information and Communications Technology - DICT's Undersecretary for Strategic Initiatives and Industry and Competency Development; Atty. Johann Carlos S. Barcena, CESO III, Privacy Commissioner and Chairman of the National Privacy Commission (NPC); BGEN Joey T. Fontiveros, Commander of the AFP Cyber Command at the Armed Forces of the Philippines; Police Major General Andre Perez Dizon, Director of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) - Philippine National Police; Mr. Florante Galura, Executive Director of the Information and Communications Technology Office at TESDA.