Novartis holds annual healthcare entrepreneur competition to generate insight into healthcare and innovation of tomorrow
- The International Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) fosters idea exchange with leading scientists as well as entrepreneurship for young talents
- 60 selected students from leading international universities attend to explore science and innovation at Novartis headquarters in Basel, Switzerland
- Patricia Wildberger, the winner of the Regional BioCamp for the the Alpe-Adria region and student of the University of Graz won the global competition with her team
- Novartis CEO Joseph Jimenez presents innovative health care solutions and business approaches to address the evolving need to improve patient outcomes
The Novartis headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, hosted the International Biotechnology Camp (BioCamp) from Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 August 2013. 60 selected students from leading international universities in 21 countries met top biotechnology scientists and entrepreneurs.
Among the 60 selected students were also the winners of the Regional BioCamp for the Alpe-Adria region Gasper Pustovrh from the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana and Patricia Wildberger from the Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering at Graz University. Patricia and her team were selected as the winning team of the International Competition BioCamp by the Committee.
“Winning the Regional BioCamp offered Gasper and Patricia an opportunity to meet Novartis top biotechnology scientists and executives. Being a part of the most promising group of young talents from all around the globe definitely provides a great opportunity to talk to new people and exchange ideas. At the same time this competition provides stimulation for young people to start their, maybe, own career and this year the focus was on the entrepreneurship in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Dr. Darja Ferčej Temeljotov, Head of continuous improvements at Sandoz Development centre Slovenia and the president of the organising committee of the Regional BioCamp. “We would like to congratulate Patricia for her exceptional results at the International Competition.”
Over the course of three days in Basel, students gained first-hand experience of starting a biotechnology company as well as launching an innovative healthcare product. This year’s BioCamp focused on the Company’s innovation efforts in new business approaches to the life sciences industry.
“With the aging population and increases in chronic disease around the world, demand for healthcare will continue to grow, well into the future. This will require innovative solutions as more healthcare systems focus on improving patient outcomes” comments Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. “As Novartis innovates in healthcare, BioCamp underscores our commitment to creating a unique learning environment for young entrepreneurs. This program enables us to forge ties between the healthcare industry and young talent from top universities. We believe this fosters the fresh thinking required to develop truly differentiated products and services with real-world outcomes. “
Some of the Company’s leading outcome-based business models include collaborations with payors on pricing arrangements, patient compliance programs as well as online support and education. The Novartis Arogya Parivar (Healthy Family in Hindi) project is one such social healthcare business model that goes beyond traditional philanthropic and commercial efforts to reach patients. The program involves a deep-rooted outreach program that trains local health educators and offers medicines in smaller, affordable packaging. Through this program, Novartis has reached 42 million people in 33,000 villages in India.
BioCamp implements Novartis’ commitment to supporting the exchange of ideas and thoughts between young talents in science and business and the Company. Top students met leading scientists and members of top management at Novartis including, among others, Rolf Martin Zinkernagel, M.D., a Nobel Laureate and member of the Novartis AG Board of Directors, and Prof. Susan Gasser, Director of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research.
BioCamp students also had a chance to cooperate with Novartis scientists and executives who lead the Company’s approach to drug development. They learned about new breakthrough medicines to address patients’ unmet medical needs. The program is designed to help students understand trends and challenges in the biotechnology and life science sectors as well as gain first-hand experience about starting and running a biotech company. BioCamp also has helped forge ties with local communities and build connections to aid future innovative collaborations in research and clinical development.
More about Novartis BioCamp 2013 »
About BioCamp
First started nine years ago in Taiwan, BioCamp has developed into an international forum for science and business students from around the world to learn, exchange ideas and work together in a highly competitive business environment. Previously hosted in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Cambridge, Massachusetts, today’s seminar marks the fourth time International BioCamp is hosted at the Novartis global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Since launching BioCamp in 2004, Novartis has introduced more than 500 top graduate students to the life sciences industry and entrepreneurship.
Lek, a Sandoz company, is one of key pillars of the second-largest generic pharmaceutical company globally. Its role within Sandoz is to act as: a leading global development center for products and technologies; a global manufacturing center for active pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines; a competence center for the development of vertically integrated products; a Sandoz competence center in the field of development and manufacturing of biosimilar products; and, a supply center for the markets of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), South East Europe (SEE) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and it is responsible for sales on the Slovenian market. For further information please visit http://www.lek.si/eng/.
Sandoz, the generic pharmaceuticals division of Novartis, is a global leader in the rapidly growing generics industry. Sandoz offers a broad range of about 1, 100 high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by patents. With nearly 26,000 employees in approximately 140 countries, Sandoz holds the #1 position globally in biosimilars, injectables, ophthalmics and dermatology as well as a strong global #5 position in inhalables. Key product groups include antibiotics, treatments for central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments, and hormone therapies. Sandoz develops, produces, and markets these medicines along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances and anti-infectives. In addition to strong organic growth in recent years, Sandoz has made a series of acquisitions including Lek (Slovenia), Sabex (Canada), Hexal (Germany), Eon Labs (US), EBEWE Pharma (Austria), Oriel Therapeutics (US), and Fougera Pharmaceuticals (US). In 2012, Sandoz posted sales of USD 8.7 billion. For more information, please visit www.sandoz.com.
Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2012, the Group achieved net sales of USD 56.7 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.3 billion (USD 9.1 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 128,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.novartis.com.
This press release contains statements and conclusions based on projections of Lek’s future business operations. These estimates are derived from the best information currently available. In case these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results could prove different from those projected.
For additional information contact:
Katarina Klemenc
Corporate Communications
Lek Pharmaceuticals d. d.
Phone: +386 1 580 22 43
Fax: +386 1 580 24 32
katarina.klemenc@sandoz.com
