Novartis concludes BioCamp event in Slovenia for promising students

Co-creating medicine in the age of the  metaverse

The theme of the online event was New modalities in therapies and reimagining medicine in the age of metaverse. Young talents learned about the opportunities and challenges that digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence bring to pharmaceuticals. "Digital transformation and the latest technologies are key to better patient care, cost-efficiency, increased transparency, better manufacturing and faster drug development. Digitisation, automation, predictive analytics and virtual technology have become part of everyday life at Novartis' state-of-the-art facilities in Slovenia, opening up opportunities for high value-added jobs. Talents with expertise in life sciences as well as in entrepreneurship and information technology are key to success today," said Janko Ignjatović, PhD,  Head of Development Projects at the Sandoz Development Centre Slovenia and Head  of the BioCamp Organising Committee.

BioCamp opens the door to the world of pharmaceutics

In twelve years, BioCamp has brought together almost 500 young talents, more than 50 of whom have joined Novartis. "BioCamp is a unique event that opens the door to the world of pharma for the best students from the region and beyond. It is an invaluable opportunity to network with top experts from Slovenia and abroad, as well as other promising students. This year, we have again intertwined business and academia in the event, an important partnership that Novartis Slovenia often relies on to find answers to the pharmaceutical industry's most pressing challenges. As a company that is constantly looking for prospective talent, BioCamp allows us to introduce them to the current challenges in pharmaceuticals and the values of Novartis in Slovenia," added Janko Ignjatović, PhD, a former BioCamp participant himself and today a project manager at Sandoz Development Centre Slovenia and chairman of the BioCamp organizing committee.

In addition to lectures and workshops, participants had the opportunity to try their hand at solving real challenges in the pharmaceutical industry and presented their solutions in groups to an expert panel. The winning group consisted of Aleksandra Bugakova, Vito Kovač, Tjaša Mlakar, Mustafa Abacıoğlu, Nada Tarek in Teodora Tomović.

Novartis  in Slovenia is known for its HR practices

Novartis in Slovenia is one of the largest and most recognised employers in the country, which also impresses with its innovative HR practices. The BioCamp project is a multi-award-winning HR initiative, most recently as the Best HR Practice 2020 - Honourable Mention at the International Conference on the Development of Organisational Science.

The company also boasts the title of Most Reputable Employer 2021 and the international "Top Employer" certification, which recognises companies with excellent HR practices and employee development programmes. "Innovative, inquisitive and agile talent is key to running a successful business and fulfilling our mission to improve the quality of life for people around the world. At Novartis Slovenia, we understand that to remain among the best, we need to attract the best people to our ranks, which requires innovative approaches. Over the past twelve years, BioCamp has developed into an established HR practice that continues to push boundaries and set new standards. The changes that Industry 4.0 is bringing to the pharmaceutical industry are thus also reflected in the execution of the event, where we have incorporated state-of-the-art digital and technological solutions that expand networking and collaboration opportunities for participants," said Darja Ferčej Temeljotov, PhD, Project Manager at Novartis Strategic Programmes in Slovenia.