Holy Child Central Colleges, Inc. (HCCCI) has forged a landmark international research partnership with Universitas Ivet (UNISVET) in Indonesia, securing the prestigious International Research Partnership Grant 2026 from the Directorate General of Research and Development (Ditjen Risbang), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek), Indonesia. The achievement strengthens HCCCI's growing footprint in international collaborative research and reaffirms its commitment to advancing education through cross-border partnerships and innovation.

As the foreign partner institution, Holy Child Central Colleges, Inc., contributed its academic expertise to a proposal that blends education, technology, and cultural understanding. The collaboration is led on the Philippine side by Prof. Dr. Erwin M. Faller, RPh., MSPharm., PhDPharm., PhDEL., FRIPharm., FACP, serving as Principal Investigator for the foreign partner, alongside Feby G. Abanil, M.A.Ed., L.P.T., as Foreign Partner. Their involvement highlights HCCCI's capacity to engage in high-level, internationally funded research, positioning the institution as a credible and active player in the regional academic community.

The funded project, titled "Cross-Cultural Collaborative Development of an Augmented Reality Interactive Book to Strengthen Early Childhood Gender Literacy in Indonesia and the Philippines," involves designing an augmented reality (AR)-based interactive book that promotes gender literacy among young children in both countries. By combining immersive AR technology with culturally grounded content from Indonesian and Filipino contexts, the project seeks to help young children grasp concepts of identity, equality, and social values in a way that is engaging and developmentally appropriate. On the Indonesian side, the project is led by Dr. Maria Denok Bekti Agustiningrum, M.Pd., of Universitas Ivet, with support from co-investigators Lenny Kurniati, S.Pd., M.Pd., and Wahyuni Arumsari, S.K.M., M.Kes.

The initiative directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably SDG 4 (Quality Education), through its focus on innovative, technology-driven early childhood learning; SDG 5 (Gender Equality), by embedding gender literacy into foundational education; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), as reflected in the very structure of this cross-border, cross-institutional collaboration between the Philippines and Indonesia.

Being selected for this internationally funded grant reflects positively on HCCC’s research culture and its faculty's ability to compete and collaborate on a global stage, opening the door for further joint initiatives, exchanges, and publications with Universitas Ivet and other international partners.