Regional BioCamp – A Golden Practice 2013

  • The Golden Practice Award proves that the Regional BioCamp is an innovative and efficient way of promoting an employer, attracting young talents and integrating departments within the company.
  • 10 employees, who took part at previous BioCamp events as students, are today successfully building their career within Sandoz.
  • Regional BioCamp is a project with which Lek, a Sandoz company, opens the door to the world of state-of-the-art technologies to young scientists.
21. 3. 2014

Publisher Dnevnik, the organiser of the Golden Thread project for selecting the best employers in Slovenia, awarded Lek, a Sandoz company, the Golden Practice Award for the project Regional BioCamp. According to the panel’s reasoning, the Regional BioCamp is a thoughtfully designed project, carried out according to standards of excellence. With its long-term vision of establishing relations with young talents in an international environment, the project generates benefits for both young people as well as Lek, a Sandoz company, as their potential employer.

Regional BioCamp brings together the most promising students of natural sciences in the region with leading scientists from academia and experts from Sandoz and Novartis. The event has a distinct international character, as apart from Slovenian students also participants from Croatia, Bosnia and in Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Austria, Italy, Germany, Poland and Russia are taking part.

The central part of the three day forum is problem solving in teams, where the participants must transfer their acquired knowledge into practical work and link it with a business-like way of thinking. With their solutions, the teams compete in front of a »potential investor« or a jury comprised of Lek’s managers. The jury selects the best team and two winners of the Regional BioCamp, who then participate in the Novartis’ international BioCamp in Basel.

»We are pleased that top students perceive the Regional BioCamp as a challenge and we note that the proportion of doctoral students among participants has been increasing significantly. In that way we are pursuing the objective that we set four years ago when organising the first such event – the regional BioCamp is becoming a traditional high-technology scientific and business event in the region,« stresses Dr Darja Ferčej Temeljotov, Head of Innovation and Continuous Improvement at Lek, a Sandoz company, and the Chair of the organising committee of the Regional BioCamp.

The Regional BioCamp is also an opportunity for the most promising students to get to know Sandoz and Novartis and gain better understanding of potential career opportunities. Ten students, who participated at the previous BioCamp events, are today employed at Lek, a Sandoz company. »Through the regional BioCamp we communicate to the most promising work force on the market that as an employer we are offering them highly innovative and stimulating work environment, within which they will be able to develop also after completing their studies. Furthermore, they are not restricted exclusively to Slovenia, but can take advantage of the involvement in the Novartis’ global system for their career development,« explains Samo Roš, Head of Human Resources and member of the Board of Management, the advantages of Lek, a Sandoz company, as an employer.

More about Regional BioCamp: www.lek.si/biocamp

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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/en/.

Sandoz, the generic pharmaceuticals division of Novartis, is a global leader in the generic pharmaceutical sector. Sandoz employs over 26,500 employees and its products are available in more than 160 countries, offering a broad range of high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by patents. With USD 9.2 billion in sales in 2013, Sandoz has a portfolio of approximately 1,100 molecules, and holds the #1 position globally in biosimilars as well as in generic injectables, ophthalmics, dermatology and antibiotics, complemented by leading positions in the cardiovascular, metabolism, central nervous system, pain, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and hormonal therapeutic areas. Sandoz develops, produces, and markets these medicines, as well as active pharmaceutical and biotechnological substances. Nearly half of Sandoz’s portfolio is in differentiated products, which are defined as products that are more difficult to scientifically develop and manufacture than standard generics.
In addition to strong organic growth since consolidating its generics businesses under the Sandoz brand name in 2003, Sandoz has benefitted from strong growth of its acquisitions, which include Lek (Slovenia), Sabex (Canada), Hexal (Germany), Eon Labs (US), EBEWE Pharma (Austria), Oriel Therapeutics (US), and Fougera Pharmaceuticals (US).
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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 2013, the Group achieved net sales of USD 57.9 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.9 billion (USD 9.6 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 135,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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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.

- konec -

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