Based in the Bay Area, California, the QB3 Malaysia Program aims to help Malaysia, an emerging economy, to build its biotechnology industry, particularly in the field of neglected diseases not addressed by Western pharmaceuticals.
The program provides research training to Malaysian graduate and post-doctoral students in the life sciences. These researchers will return to Malaysia and work together at the National Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals in Malaysia to advance the fast expanding local drug and diagnostic industry.
The program represents a collaborative effort between the Malaysia Biotechnology Corporation and the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) and is part of QB3’s effort to advance global health care.
This is a one-week course for participants from all over the world that provides an in-depth examination of what it takes to establish successful biotechnology companies in Asia, Latin America, or other emerging economies. Through case studies and hands-on projects, attendees from all around the world will learn to take leadership roles in their communities, and establish, invest in or directly support life sciences ventures.
The Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (Biotech Corp) is a Malaysian agency established to act as a one-stop-centre to nurture and accelerate the growth of Malaysian biotechnology companies and to create an environment conducive to the development of biotechnology. Further details on Biotech Corp can be found at: http://www.biotechcorp.com.my.
The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) is a cooperative effort among three campuses of the University of California - University of California San Francisco, University of California Berkeley and University of California San Francisco.
QB3 harnesses the quantitative sciences to integrate our understanding of biological systems at all levels of complexity - from atoms and protein molecules to cells, tissues, organs and the entire organism. This long-sought integration allows scientists to attack problems that have been simply unapproachable before, setting the stage for fundamental new discoveries, new products and new technologies for the benefit of human health.
The Institute builds on strengths in the engineering and physical sciences at UC Berkeley, engineering and mathematical sciences at UC Santa Cruz, and the medical sciences at UC San Francisco, as well as strong biology programs at the three campuses.
For more details on QB3, go to QB3's website
The Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals is one of the newly established key institutes that will drive the healthcare biotechnology initiatives under the Malaysian Biotechnology Policy. The role of the institute is to jump-start and sustain the global competitiveness of the Malaysian biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university that advances health worldwide by conducting advanced biomedical research, educating graduate students in the life sciences and health professions, and providing complex patient care. It is well known for its scientific discoveries and the companies that its technologies, faculty and students have spawned.
For more details on UCSF, go to UCSF's website
The goal of this program is to produce a cadre of faculty members for the Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals. Both the graduate students and postdocs that come through this program are expected to start a research program in the MIPN.
The program supports Ph.D. students for up to 5 years upon demonstration of satisfactory progress toward receipt of the Ph.D. degree. Postdoctoral fellows will usually only be supported for three years.
The Program is now full and we will only start recruiting after our current scholars have completed their training.
Eligibility:
To give maximum flexibility to the program, Ph.D. students will not get their degrees from QB3 but from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The thesis defense will occur in Malaysia but be attended by the QB3 mentor. Students will conduct their research a QB3 mentor while enrolled as a “visiting scholar” at QB3 in San Francisco, California.
Every year, the students will return to Malaysia for an "Annual Symposia" to present their research. Presentations at the Annual Symposia will also serve as a review of the thesis by the Malaysian University.
Mentors should provide the students with a research project that they can continue in Malaysia and hopefully continue to maintain a mentoring relationship with the students after the program is over. The research project should be relevant to the development of drugs and diagnostics for neglected diseases.
Under the QB3 Malaysia Program, students are fully funded with full access to research and lab facilities. In addition, students will receive $20,000 per annum in consumable cost and $20,000 in discretionary funds per annum.
Both the graduate and post-doctoral students who come through this program are expected to start a research program in the Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals.
Each student will be matched with a QB3 faculty mentor, who will be the student’s primary thesis advisors. The mentor will prepare the trainees at both Ph.D. and postdoctoral levels to become independent scientists when their training is over in order to take up a faculty position in the NIPN.
Applicants are invited to choose preferred faculty members from the list in the application form, but their final assignment will be determined later. After the students have arrived, they will discuss potential research projects with various QB3 faculty members before selecting a research project. We expect that there will be a "trial" period for both the faculty and the students to change their minds about the research project and mutual compatibility.
To enquire about future openings, please submit the following materials (only PDF documents, Microsoft Word documents, or faxes are acceptable):
To:
The program supports research for not more than one year.
This program will support up to 2 Malaysian participants per year
The research projects will be very specific and achievable in short periods of time, for example solving a crystal structure of a biological molecule.
To enquire about the program, please submit the following materials:
To:
The course is open to Malaysians as well as non-Malaysian and designed primarily for individuals who are aiming to establish, invest in or directly support successful biotechnology companies in emerging markets.
Tuition for the course is $5,750. If you are part of an early stage venture, or part of an academic institution, please inquire about receiving a discount on the tuition.
The course is designed for up to 40 attendees. If you would like to attend the course, please register here before space runs out.
To register contact:
Agnes Buenaventura
Global Bio-entrepreneurship Course Coordinator
Phone: (415) 514-4824
Fax: (415) 514-4661
E-mail: Agnes.Buenaventura@ucsf.edu
The Global Bio-entrepreneurship Seminar is being held at the beautiful new Mission Bay campus of the University of California, San Francisco. The campus is in the heart of San Francisco and the biotechnology industry. For more information please visit http://pub.ucsf.edu//missionbay/.
Directions to Mission Bay
http://pub.ucsf.edu/missionbay/directions/