Search on for Phl delegates to Novartis Int'l BioCamp

MANILA, Philippines - Outstanding Filipino graduate and postgraduate students in the natural sciences are invited to participate in this year’s Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) on July 30 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Conference Center in Makati City.

Based on academic excellence and professional experience, two outstanding Local BioCamp participants will be selected to represent the country in the International BioCamp scheduled on Aug. 26-29 at the Novartis international headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.

Novartis will cover all travel and accommodation expenses of the Filipino delegates.

To participate in the Local BioCamp, students must register to confirm their attendance to the workshop and receive a copy of the case study.

If qualified, they must furnish Local BioCamp organizers with their curriculum vitae and complete the application process in order to be considered for the International BioCamp.

Deadline for registration and application is July 16. Only complete applications will be considered. 

For more information, log on to www.novartis.com.ph or www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph. To register and apply, call Joy Caoile at (0917) 815-8017 or e-mail [email protected].

“Novartis conducts the annual Local BioCamp to develop young Filipino scientists and help improve the quality of Philippine healthcare. Moreover, in this age of globalization, ensuring the country’s competitiveness in science and technology is crucial for economic growth and national progress,” said Thomas Weigold, country president and managing director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

Delegates to the International BioCamp are selected through Local BioCamps organized by Novartis in the 140 countries where the company operates.

International BioCamp delegates get an insider’s perspective of the challenges and opportunities in biotechnology today through interactive workshops conducted by biotech leaders from around the world.

They are given the opportunity to learn from industry leaders the basic steps on how to start a biotech company; work together, learn and network with students from around the world; and find out about career-enhancing opportunities in biotech and the academe.

Since 2006, as part of its Kaagapay Program and in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Novartis Healthcare Philippines has organized the Local BioCamp, the country’s biggest annual biotech workshop that brings together promising young Filipino scientists and respected Filipino biotech experts and entrepreneurs.

Other Local BioCamp partners are the DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, Intellectual Property Philippines, and the country’s first biotech consulting firm, Hybridigm Consulting Inc.

This year’s Local BioCamp theme is “Staying Competitive in the Knowledge Economy.”

As in previous years, a powerhouse lineup of resource speakers has been invited to the 2012 Novartis Local BioCamp.

They include Sen. Edgardo Angara, DOST Secretary Mario Montejo, IPP deputy director general Atty. Andrew Ong, National Institutes of Health (NIH) president Dr. Vicente Belizario, NIH Institute of Human Genetics executive director Dr. Carmencita Padilla, and Hybridigm Consulting founder and CEO Prof. Maoi Arroyo.

In the 2011 International BioCamp in Basel, Switzerland, Karen Katrina Manalastas joined 59 students from leading universities in 23 countries and territories in interacting with Novartis scientists involved with the company’s unique drug development process.

Manalastas, who holds a MS in Computer Science from the University of the Philippines Diliman, is currently a research associate at the Protein Structure and Immunology Laboratory of UP Diliman’s National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.