Philippine National Biotechnology Week goes to UPLB

This year’s National Biotechnology Week (NBW) will be held at the foot of Mt. Makiling as UPLB hosts this significant celebration for the country’s biotechnology community on 25-29 November 2024.

With the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) at the helm, the NBW will carry the theme #experienceBIOTECH: Expand the Future of Biotechnology through Education, Innovation, and Commercialization.

This week-long celebration will feature two major activities: the #experienceBIOTECH which features a week-long immersive exhibit, panel discussions, and inter-high school and inter-collegiate competitions at the UPLB Copeland Gymnasium; and the Biotechnology Fiesta, an interactive guided/self-guided tour for different stakeholders to be held on November 25-28, 2024 at the different research centers and offices in UPLB’s Science and Technology Park, namely: Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO), National Crop Protection Center (NCPC), National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), Organic Agriculture Research, Development, and Extension Center (OARDEC), and Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB).

As per Presidential Proclamation No. 1414 s. 2007, the NBW is organized by the Inter-Agency Steering Committee (IASC), which is composed of key government agencies: the CHED, Department of Agriculture, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Department of Trade and Industry.

Biotechnology partners and stakeholders from the academe, industry, and government are expected to take part in this second-decade milestone celebration.

UPLB is a pioneer in biotechnology research in the country. It established BIOTECH in 1979, which is dubbed as the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Through the IPB, the university has also developed the fruit and shoot borer resistant Bt eggplant, which is the first Philippine genetically modified crop.

Moreover, the NCPC is credited for developing a Rapid Test Kit that can quickly detect toxic pesticide residues on vegetables and other crops. These three institutes and their products and technologies will be featured in the NBW’s Biotechnology Fiesta. The university alumni also lead in scientific research, with more than a third of National Scientists in the country being graduates of UPLB.

For more information about the NBW, e-mail nbw.uplb@gmail.com. For updates, visit facebook.com/nbwphilippines.