Padjadjaran University (Unpad) and state-owned pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma conducted vaccine manufacturing technology training for four researchers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries.
Unpad Rector Prof Rina Indiastuti remarked that the four researchers would study vaccine manufacturing technology at the Unpad central laboratory that had been appointed by the Health Ministry as part of OIC’s COMSTECH (Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation) Fellowship Program.
“Four participants from Egypt and Pakistan will take part in the training and research on vaccines and biotechnology,” Indiastuti noted here on Monday.
She said, the participants would also study comprehensive multidisciplinary studies, such as research, downstreaming, and collaboration with the industry.
With the training program, she expressed optimism that Unpad would contribute to strengthening the capacity of researchers from OIC countries.
“That way, they can witness the science and (vaccine manufacturing) equipment in Indonesia. However, for Unpad, this is a collaboration activity with OIC countries,” Indiastuti remarked.
PT Bio Farma appointed Padjadjaran University as the organizer of the training that aimed to increase OIC countries’ independence in vaccine production. This program was implemented as a form of Indonesian diplomacy in the global health sector as well as to increase the number of researchers in vaccine production.
Meanwhile, Director of Operations at PT Bio Farma, Rahman Roestan, stated that this fellowship laboratory holds significance for empowering research and development cooperation, so OIC countries can better prepare the required vaccines and biotechnology products.
“The Health Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry support this. We can make this Indonesia’s contribution to the world,” Roestan remarked.
Furthermore, he pointed out that Indonesia has vaccine research and development technology for which collaboration can be forged with other OIC countries, considering that Indonesia is one of the 10 OIC countries that have vaccine factories.
Source: Antara News