PHILIPPINES-CALIFORNIA ADVANCED RESEARCH INSTITUTES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PROPOSAL
Philippines-California Advanced Research Initiative (PCARI)
March 20, 2012
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
A. OVERVIEW........................................................................................................................................ 3
1. VISION AND GOALS ................................................................................................................... 3
2. BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY, OPERATIONS, AND MANAGEMENT ................................................... 4
3. FINANCIAL SUPPORT ................................................................................................................. 6
B. INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ................................................ 8
1. Goals .......................................................................................................................................... 8
2. Background................................................................................................................................ 8
3. Strategic Focus Areas .............................................................................................................. 10
4. Research Focus Areas, Projects and Impact ............................................................................ 11
5. Programs ................................................................................................................................. 13
6. Resources ................................................................................................................................ 16
C. INSTITUTE FOR HEALTHCARE INNOVATION AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE ............................. 21
1. Goals ........................................................................................................................................ 21
2. Background.............................................................................................................................. 21
3. Strategic Focus Areas .............................................................................................................. 21
4. Research Focus Areas, Project and Impact ............................................................................. 22
5. Programs ................................................................................................................................. 25
6. Resources ................................................................................................................................ 32
Philippines-California Advanced Research Initiative (PCARI)
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PHILIPPINES-CALIFORNIA ADVANCED RESEARCH INITIATIVE (PCARI)
PROPOSAL FOR TWO JOINT INSTITUTES FOR
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
A.) OVERVIEW:
With guidance from the Banatao family, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of
California, San Francisco propose to collaborate with the Philippine government and leading Philippine
academic institutions to establish two joint research institutes that match the Philippine government’s
goal of mobilizing knowledge for greater productivity and economic growth in the two key technology
areas identified as the focus for the development of industry in the Philippines: Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) and Biotechnology [2004-2010 Medium-Term Philippine Development
Plan, Chapter 19.]
Each of these two institutes will have a set of specific goals for innovative research, education and
training, and implementation to advance research and educational excellence, economic growth and
quality of life in the Philippines. The proposed working titles and focus areas for each institute follow
below:
1. Institute for Information Infrastructure Development (focus: advancing information technology,
energy, e-government and e-education in the Philippines through strategic research and education);
and
2. Institute for Health Innovation and Translational Medicine (focus: advancing health care in the
Philippines through strategic technology, delivery and training).
The Institute for Information Infrastructure Development will be supported respectively by the UC
Berkeley College of Engineering and CITRIS Berkeley (Center for IT Research in the Interest of Society)
and the Institute for Health Innovation and Translational Medicine will be supported by UC San
Francisco and UC Berkeley. Together, the institutes will be known collectively as the PhilippinesCalifornia Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) and their oversight will be managed by the PCARI board
which will include representatives from the Philippine ERDT schools and UC Berkeley and UC San
Francisco, with Mr. Dado Banatao serving as Board Chair and Dr. Rey Banatao serving as Vice Chair.
1. VISION AND GOALS
The vision of PCARI is to unite scientific inquiry with practical use in two areas of advanced technology of
significant potential benefit to the Republic of the Philippines – information and communications
technology (ICT) and translational medicine and healthcare. Both Institutes will be open-walled,
benefiting from rapid national progress in telecommunications and biotechnology, collaborating with
Philippines-California Advanced Research Initiative (PCARI)
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established Philippines business innovators like Ayala, Globe Telecom, and Petron, and stimulating an
“ecosystem” of Research / Development / Deployment (RDD).
PCARI will embrace and accelerate startups, help clarify business models, and solicit the participation of
prominent global corporations. Rather than being a proprietary operation, the Institutes will leverage
the unique status of the ERDT (Engineering Research and Development for Technology) and other
premier Philippine universities, research institutions and agencies as the only comprehensive, public,
research-based scientific resource at scale in the nation. It will become the nation’s primary source of
innovation in ICT and biotechnology and will make its intellectual capital freely available.
As illustrated below, the Institutes will be established in a matrix-based structure reflecting the “RDD”
approach through two complementary organizational units — rows (“technology push”) and columns
(“application pull”). This multi-disciplinary and multi-campus model is well illustrated by the Center for
IT Research in the Interest of Society, headquartered in the UC Berkeley campus.
UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, and CITRIS Berkeley all have a world-leading reputation in advanced
technology development and in their commitment to addressing major societal issues (e.g., education,
communication, health care, energy, the environment, etc.). The Philippines, a newly industrialized
nation with sustained rapid growth, presents an enormous opportunity for UC Berkeley and UC San
Francisco to engage with a rapidly advancing nation that also offers a variety of uniquely challenging
societal areas worthy of research and development.
In the manner of other international research programs at both UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, both
institutes will have a faculty director and administrative associate director. Many of the faculty to be
involved, (e.g., Professors Jan Rabaey and Eric Brewer) are intimately familiar with the Philippines and
have strong relationships and a research and teaching history with faculty in the Philippines.
Reciprocally, exemplary ERDT Philippine Faculty (e.g. Professors Rowena Guevarra, Manuel Ramos, and
Luis Sison) have already participated in exchange programs between UC through the GLOBE program.
It is our goal to combine the best academic researchers of the Philippines with the best of those of UC
Berkeley and UC San Francisco to advance the technological capabilities in the Philippines to address
societal needs, and, in so doing, to contribute to the continued economic growth and prosperity of the
nation.
2. BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY, OPERATIONS, AND MANAGEMENT
To create true intellectual capital at global levels, partnerships with other Philippine institutions in PCARI
are premised on realistic relationships that provide mutual benefit to both sides. The Philippine
universities will derive expertise and top-tier participants from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco,
representing unique depth and breadth in ICT, translational medicine, and healthcare. Additionally,
visiting university scholars from the Philippines will gain exposure to the most advanced facilities and
research on the participating campuses. UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco scholar-entrepreneurs will
gain access to the dynamism of the rapidly evolving economy of the Philippines, as well as a second
intellectual home and societal laboratory at the apex of the national university system.
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In accord with PCARI’s structure, the Institutes’ operations will focus on the Technology Co-laboratories
(Collaborative Laboratories) and Systems Integration Centers, to be established at various appropriate
sites. At the same time, “mirrored” co-laboratories and centers will be set up at UC Berkeley and UC San
Francisco to allow for substantive researcher exchange, construction of working teams of graduate
students, and the involvement of visiting industrial fellows.
The governance of PCARI will be led by the PCARI Board, a sub-committee of the Board of the Dado and
Maria Banatao GLOBE Center. This board will be chaired by Mr. Dado Banatao and Vice Chair Dr. Rey
Banatao, and will include senior leadership from Philippine ERDT member schools, UC Berkeley, UC San
Francisco, Philippine Government, and PhilDev (Philippine Development Foundation). To insure
responsiveness to national interests, the Board will oversee the content development and progress of
the Institutes through periodic review on a two-year cycle at the semi-annual meetings of the Board of
Trustees.
The executive management teams of both institutes will each include a faculty Director responsible for
the overall research agenda, an Associate Director responsible for administrative coordination, and
supporting staff for research administration, exchange coordination, daily communications, events, and
activities support.
In the Philippines, the Institutes will each be managed by a sister administrative unit appointed by
Philippine academic leadership with input from the PCARI Board. The institute directors in the
Philippines will be supported by a Steering Committee consisting of several key university deans (such as
Engineering, Business, and Medicine) and the leaders of individual co-laboratories.
Physically, each Institute is expected to require space from existing facilities of approximately 20,000
square feet in the Philippines and 10,000 square feet at Berkeley and UCSF. In a two-floor facility, one
floor would house the technology co-laboratories, while the other would house the directorate and the
systems-integration centers. We strongly believe that the purposes of the Institutes as outlined require
that faculty, researchers, and visiting industrial fellows be co-located in shared-use facilities that
architecturally encourage frequent encounters and exchange of ideas and information. At operating
levels, we expect the average co-laboratory and integration center will house 5-8 faculty investigators,
8-10 industrial visitors, and about 50 graduate researchers each.
In the context of national aspirations, the Institutes will become a pivotal vehicle for achieving the
Philippine nation’s vision for ERDT to contribute to the nation and increase its current success in
internationalization. Although distinct from existing research institutes, these two Institutes derive
substantial advantages from close affiliation with the top universities in the Philippines. The model for
faculty participation in these Institutes will be an “opt-in” approach, including a grant-proposal process
to permit access for faculty with compatible research interests and competitive standing at world
standards.
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3. FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Core support from the government of the Philippines is sought for establishing the Institutes for an
initial period of five years, renewable with a review begun in the third year. The funding will be
dispensed semi-annually, after approval by the Board.
Core support would be used in two primary locations in the Philippines —a major site at the most
appropriate university partner for each institute, and “mirror sites” at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco
as appropriate to each institute’s research thrust. The objective is to achieve sufficient presence in both
the Institute and its “mirror” site, along with robust telecommunications between them, to promote the
rapid interchange of ideas and technologies, and to attract the organizational and financial participation
of stakeholders.
Our initial estimate of the core funding profile in total is US$205 million over five years, with a portion
spent in the Philippines as appropriate to the costs and needs to support the programs there. At UC
Berkeley and UC San Francisco, the funds for both institutes will be managed through the Dado and
Maria Banatao GLOBE Center for Global Learning and Outreach and distributed as appropriate to the
activities of each institute – funds for the Institute for Information Infrastructure Development will be
spent on participating faculty and activities primarily in the College of Engineering and CITRIS Berkeley
and the funds for the Institute for Healthcare Innovation and Translational Medicine will be spent on
participating faculty and activities primarily at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley. At this time, the
annual funding is expected to be divided equally between the two institutes.
Please see Chart 1 on the following page.
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Chart 1 Proposed Budget:
(Figures shown are in US $ millions)
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Total
Institute for Information
Infrastructure Development (IIID)
1. Technology Innovation Catalyst
Programs
2. Research and Training
$5
$5
$5
$5
$5
$25
8
8
8
8
8
40
6
6
6
6
6
30
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
7.5
1. Technology Innovation Catalyst
Programs
2. Research and Training
5
5
5
5
5
25
8
8
8
8
8
40
3. Domain specific development
(drugs/device development
(ultrasound), healthcare
delivery, , etc)
4. Collaboration and Administration
6
6
6
6
6
30
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
7.5
TOTAL for PCARI (2 Institutes)
$41
$41
$41
$41
$41
$205
3. Domain specific development
(wireless communications,
alternative energy systems,
etc.)
4. Collaboration and
Administration
Institute for Health Innovation and
Translational Medicine
Research projects will be jointly defined, and in conjunction with the projects, the institutes expect to
host visiting fellows to work on the common projects. The Institutes’ success will be measured not
merely by publications, but also by adoption of the technology they generate by societal stakeholders in
flourishing start-ups, as well as by industry participation in the Institutes, creation of joint ventures, etc.
In summary we believe that in five years — by moving swiftly to capture the rich potential of the next
generation of information technology and communications and biotechnology— PCARI will create a rich
ecosystem of societal-scale research, direct benefits to the Philippines in the form of products and
services that government and private enterprise can deploy, and a novel, highly-productive paradigm of
research, development, and deployment.
The proposed institutes are described separately below.
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B.) INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT:
1. Goals:
UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering and CITRIS Berkeley (Center for Information Technology Research
in the Interest of Society) propose to partner with the Philippine government and the consortium of
Philippine ERDT universities to establish a premier, joint, multidisciplinary research institute in the
Philippines, the Institute for Information Infrastructure Development. Through innovative research,
educational, and implementation goals, this institute aims to advance information technology, energy
and related Philippine strategic sectors. We will substantially grow human capital and expertise; foster
economic growth, and improve the quality of life in the Philippines.
2. Background:
This collaborative, joint, and international institute will bring together experts in a variety of disciplines
in information technology (IT) to build: a robust, distributed wireless infrastructure for the development
of systems and applications in the areas of energy systems, disaster mitigation and preparedness, and
government and educational IT systems.
Working with top faculty, researchers, and students in their respective fields, the Institute will enhance
engineering research and educational excellence, expand research and development capacity, and drive
technological innovation and expertise in the Philippines and beyond.
The Institute will work across a matrix of projects, the portfolio of which will expand from short-term
implementation and the development of technologies closer to commercialization, to upstream
scientific projects that will build research capabilities and infrastructure to enable the Philippines to
“leapfrog” into the development of an advanced information technology industry.
To address the need for development of Philippine Ph.D. candidates, researchers and faculty, the
program will feature hosted visiting fellows to UC Berkeley. Visiting fellows will conduct joint research
with their host faculty and also have access to and participation in courses relevant to the development
of their expertise, curriculum guidance for new online and face-to-face courses to be taught in the
Philippines, broad exposure to the research of colleagues and centers across campus, and short-course
certificate programs on Innovation and Entrepreneurship held in the Philippines and at UC Berkeley
(example of such a program is already offered by the College of Engineering to Chinese entrepreneurs
and engineering leaders in the Bay Area) will educate promising Philippine entrepreneurs in the
establishment of successful start-ups. [Additional guided development for visiting fellows will be
determined by a needs assessment prior to the start of the visiting fellows program.]
This institute will embrace and accelerate startups, help clarify business models, and solicit the
participation of prominent global corporations. Rather than being a proprietary operation, the Institute
will leverage the unique status of the ERDT (Engineering Research and Development for Technology)
universities and additional relevant institutions as the only comprehensive, public, research-based
scientific resource at scale in the Philippines. The institute will become the primary source of innovation
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in information and communications technology (ICT) in the Philippines and will make its intellectual
capital freely available.
As illustrated below in Chart 2, the Institute will be established in a matrix-based structure reflecting the
Research / Development / Deployment (RDD) approach — with rows representing “technology push”
and columns representing “application pull”.
This institute will encompass a variety of programs jointly administered by the U.S. and Philippine
partners. The rows indicate the primary areas of technologies to be utilized in addressing the
application areas identified by the column titles.
Each section of the matrix provides one or two research topic examples for illustration along with the
proposed UC & ERDT principle investigators.
Many of the UC Berkeley faculty to be involved, particularly in ICT (e.g., Professors Eric Brewer and Jan
Rabaey) are intimately familiar with the Philippines and have strong relationships and a research and
teaching history with faculty in the Philippines. Reciprocally, outstanding Philippine ERDT Faculty (e.g.
Professors Rowena Guevarra, Manuel Ramos, and Luis Sison) also have existing relationships with UC
Berkeley through exchange training programs via GLOBE.
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3. Strategic Focus Areas
To align with the current areas of critical importance to the Philippines, this Institute will focus on:
1) Resilient Infrastructures, including disaster mitigation and environmental monitoring;
2) Energy, including alternative energy sources, distributed energy systems, and energy efficient
buildings; and
3) Online Education and “E-Government” information infrastructure and applications.
The following sample projects addressing these areas are described in Chart 2 which follows below.
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Chart 2: Institute for Information Infrastructure Development − Research, Development, Deployment
Resilient Infrastructures
Wireless
Infrastructure &
Sensor Networks
Micro-Base Stations for
Disaster Mitigation
Infrastructure
ERDT: Manuel Ramos
UC: Eric Brewer
Energy
Energy Efficient Buildings
ERDT: Adrian Valdez,
Michael Pedrasa, Jordan
Rel Orillaza, Louella
Orillaza
UC: Costas Spanos,
Kameshwar Poola
Online Education & EGovernment
Micro-Base Stations for
Education Infrastructure
ERDT: Manuel Ramos
UC: Eric Brewer
Networks for Adaptive
Cities and Water [incl.
Flooding and Landslides,
Food Security?]
ERDT: Joel Marciano, Chris
Monterola, Marc Zarco,
Manuel Ramos, Jhoanna
Pedrasa
UC: Steve Glaser
Computing
Data Integration and
Analysis
ERDT: Vena Bongolan,
Adrian Valdez, Angelo
Festin
UC: Alex Bayen
Micro-Grids
ERDT: Louis Alarcon
UC: David Culler
BioFuels & Specialty
Chemicals
ERDT: Giselle Concepcion,
Toto Olivera (UP/Utah),
Alvin Chua, Luis Razon, Dr.
Auresenia
UC: Adam Arkin
Devices and
Systems
Energy Harvesting
UC: Paul Wright
ERDT: Rizalinda de Leon,
Greg Tangonan
Geo-Thermal Systems
ERDT: Mark Zarco
UC: Al Pisano
Wave Power
ERDT: Greg Tangonan
UC: Ronald Yeung
Online Education
ERDT: Angelo Festin, Pros
Naval, Abigail, Razon,
Rhandley Cajote, Rachel
Roxas, Federico Ang, Lito
Lazaro, Rowena Guevarra
UC: Pieter Abbeel, Dan
Garcia
Wireless Swarms: Internet
of Things
UC: Jan Rabaey
Mobile Applications &
Human-Machine Interface
ERDT: Chris Monterola,
Clarissa David
UC: Bjoern Hartmann
Data & Democracy
ERDT: Chris Monterola,
Clarissa David
UC: Greg Niemeyer
KEY: UC = UC Berkeley/ CITRIS Berkeley, ERDT = Engineering Research and Development for Technology
Universities, Philippines
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4. Research Focus, Projects and Impact:
4. a. Resilient Infrastructures
Overview:
The decentralized nature of the Philippine archipelago presents enormous scientific and technical
challenges in the development of information systems for disaster mitigation and emergency
response. The infrastructure backbone for the program will be an optimized wireless micro-base station
infrastructure developed by Professors Eric Brewer (UCB) and Manuel Ramos (ERDT). Projects utilizing
the backbone span from the device level and wireless sensor networks to the computation needed to
collect and analyze the massive amounts of data from those networks.
Sample Projects:
Areas which are strategic to the Resilient Infrastructures focus element follow below.
Devices:
Energy Harvesting for Wireless Sensors: The battery demands of wireless sensing devices hinders the
adoption and deployment in remote regions. Building on the work of Professor Paul Wright,
collaborative research with ERDT Professors (such as Rizalinda de Leon & Greg Tangonan) to optimize
energy harvesting systems for wireless sensors deployed in test-beds will increase the adoption of
sensor networks in the Philippines and tropical regions.
Sensor Networks:
The invention of the affordable wireless sensor network has enabled the creation of 'intelligent'
infrastructures; the real-time data from such networks enables resilient infrastructures. Faculty at
CITRIS Berkeley (Professors Steven Glaser and Ray Seed) are applying these technologies to the water
'infrastructure' of California - rivers, lakes, reservoirs, aquifers and levees - and are enabling better
forecasting of water supply and transforming the management of flood risk. Similarly, ERDT Professors
Joel Marciano, Chris Monterola, Marc Zarco, Manuel Ramos, and Jhoanna Pedrasa have identified application
for such networks and can focus on their deployment and use in scenarios specific to the Philippines.
Research on the deployment of such networks in the Philippines will enable better forecasting and
management of floods and landslides, improving the current state of disaster mitigation and emergency
preparedness, and manage resources to ensure food security. Wireless sensor networks and mobile
phone applications are also being used by Berkeley faculty and in the CITRIS Berkeley Adaptive Cities
Initiative to develop robust transportation systems, support emergency preparedness and response, and
monitor air and water quality, resource consumption and supply chain networks. Similarly, ERDT
Professor Adrian Valdez can be apply these and other technologies to develop monitoring and
management systems for traffic in Manila.
Computing:
Wireless sensor networks and mobile applications provide access to previously unthinkable amounts of
data. Diverse sources for data from a monitored environment first require assimilation in order to
enable analysis and subsequent action. Collaboration with Philippine Engineering Research
Development and Technology (ERDT) colleagues in this area would build on the work of Berkeley faculty
such as Professor Alex Bayen who has developed large-scale systems for transportation and water
management in California, enabling real-time decision-making and management by the Philippine
government entities in charge of disaster mitigation.
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4.b. Energy
Overview:
Alternative and distributed energy systems hold great promise for the Philippines. A research program
investigating and adapting technologies and systems for the production, distribution, and use of energy
would span projects ranging from alternative systems for power generation, to the computation for
smart grids for energy distribution, to the optimization of power usage in buildings.
Sample Projects:
Areas which are strategic to the Energy focus element follow below.
Alternative Energy Systems (geothermal systems):
Unlike solar and wind power, which can fluctuate depending on weather systems, geothermal energy is
a valuable, continuous potential energy resource in the Philippines, making them the second largest
producer of geothermal energy in the world. As geothermal energy demands grow in the Philippines, its
incorporation into micro-grid systems requires permanent sensor technology to monitor subsurface
conditions. Work at UC Berkeley in a new MEMS harsh environment wireless sensor technology can be
further developed and applied specifically in Philippine scenarios and will enable rapid understanding of
geothermal systems, speeding their adoption into energy systems in the Philippines. Professor Albert P.
Pisano is leading a strong effort in this area, has existing global relationships to explore geothermal, and
is enthusiastic about collaborating with future colleagues in the ERDT and the Philippines.
Alternative Energy Systems (wave power):
The Philippines marine ecosystems make wave and tidal power a promising technology for use in microgrid systems for island communities. Professor Greg Tangonan of ERDT has begun work identifying
potential sites, and building industry relationships to create the first wave powered testing facility, to
help position the Philippines as a leader in this new energy technology.Work in the modeling of marine
hydrodynamic systems for energy extraction (Professor Ronald Yeung) would facilitate the development
and assessment of this technology for the incorporation of the technology into sites proposed for microgrids.
Smart Grid and Micro Grids:
Taking guidance from the design principles of the dominant triumph of the cyber age, the Internet, work
at UC Berkeley and CITRIS Berkeley is investigating how to design a more scalable, flexible and resilient
electric power infrastructure that encourages efficient use, integrates local generation, and manages
demand through omnipresent awareness of energy availability and use over time.
Using a cyber overlay on the energy distribution system in its various physical manifestations, e.g.,
machine rooms, buildings, neighborhoods, isolated generation islands and regional grids, pervasive
information exchange will enable a more efficient scalable energy system with improved resilience and
quality of delivered power. Led by Professor David Culler and colleagues, research collaboration with
Louis Alarcon of ERDT on test bed systems in the Philippines would enable exploration of the
incorporation of alternative energy systems in micro-grids to better understand and develop systems for
the Philippines.
Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics:
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Building on new research supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation (led by Professor
Costas Spanos), collaborative research projects with ERDT professors Adrian Valdez, Michael Pedrasa,
Jordan Rel Orillaza, and Louella Orillaza utilizing test bed buildings in the Philippines would further speed
the development of energy efficient buildings in the tropics.
Bio-fuels and Specialty Chemicals:
Existing ERDT Research led by Giselle Concepcion, Toto Olivera, and colleagues on Philippine sources for
bio-fuels and newly discovered resources relevant to bio-fuel production (such as the breakdown of
cellulose utilized by particular Philippine marine mollusks) would build on and contribute to the
significant ongoing work in bio-fuels in the Synthetic Biology Institute, led by Professor Adam Arkin and
his colleagues.
4.c. Online Education and E-Government
Overview:
Several research programs at UC Berkeley and CITRIS Berkeley will be applied to the development of the
infrastructure and applications for electronic government and online education.
Sample Projects:
Areas which are strategic to the Online Education and E-Government focus element follow below.
Micro-Base Stations: At the infrastructure level, Professors Eric Brewer and Manuel Ramos’ work on
micro-base stations can be adapted to optimize systems for the transmission of data and educational
materials.
Swarm Lab and Wireless 2.0:
Work on ubiquitous sensing in Professor Jan Rabaey’s recently established Swarm Lab for next
generation wireless systems will foster the creation and distribution of exciting applications of large
swarms of sensors and actuators through the adoption of an open and universal platform.
Online and Mobile Applications for Education:
The rapidly growing BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) Industry both in the Philippines and globally,
has created a demand for rapid and scaleable education. New web-based educational programs
(developed by Professor Pieter Abbeel and Dr. Dan Garcia) and mobile applications (Professor Bjoern
Hartmann and the Berkeley Institute for Design) along with potential Philippine ERDT collaborators with
a similar focus (Angelo Festin, Pros Naval, Abigail, Razon, Rhandley Cajote, Rachel Roxas, Federico Ang, Lito
Lazaro, and Rowena Guevarra) will provide increased access to education across the Philippines. Most
importantly con-current programs already funded by the Philippine Government, such as “Cloudtop”,
will lend further momentum to these education initiatives.
Data and Democracy:
This initiative at CITRIS Berkeley is exploring the complex evolving relationships between data (internet,
smartphones, social media, large datasets, etc) and democracy (online deliberation, collective
intelligence, fair access, diversity, consensus), enhancing the abilities of individuals of all backgrounds in
their individual and collective awareness, participation, discovery, and decision-making related to critical
civic and societal issues. Applications for the identification of disease ‘hot-spots’ (e.g. Dengue Fever and
asthma), digital inequality, visualization systems for community opinions, and for the support of city
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politics are some of the projects upon which applications specific to the Philippines could be developed.
Faculty leading this effort include Professor Greg Neimeyer and his colleagues with potential ERDT
collaborators Chris Monterola and Clarissa David.
5. Programs
The programmatic activities of the institute align with the three “Application-Pull” (columns) of the
institutes research program, each building on existing or seed funding models (“Catalyst” programs),
and focusing on training and infrastructure-building in each area:
Individual programs within these areas are described below, from which a final listing of programs will
be selected.
1. Infrastructure Resilience: New models for device development
a. Infrastructure Systems and Device Catalyst Program: New wireless sensor network,
wireless communication infrastructure systems, and related devices supported by the
institute, originating either in UC Berkeley or in the Philippines, and for which a faculty
partner exists in the Philippines, will be vetted by the Board and will include input from
industry experts (e.g., venture capitalists, CEOs of successful companies, technology
development consultants). For promising proposals, groups of experts will be engaged
to move these along the development pipeline to bring them to the market. Device
development teams will be matched with experts in engineering, business, science, and
implementation. Teams will be carefully constructed with appropriate expertise
matched to the need of the device to be developed. Interactions will be orchestrated to
take ideas through various stages of vetting, improvement and regulatory approval.
Seed funding will be available, with the requirement that at least two thirds should be
spent in the Philippines. Companies created will be established in the Philippines.
b. Master’s and Capstone Training Program: A training program with online, Philippine,
and UC components will train promising engineers and scientists. Although most
training can occur in the Philippines, at least 3 months in the Bay Area will be required
for networking and to experience models of successful multidisciplinary development.
The program will be adapted from the Fung Institute’s successful Master of Engineering
(M.Eng.) program and its signature capstone project program. Students will learn the
skills to integrate the science, technology and business expertise required to drive
scientific discoveries into public use for the improvement of health.
c. Fellowship Program: Select fellows (faculty and researchers from the Philippines) will
spend time in UCB laboratories, advancing device ideas designed to meet needs in the
Philippines and other low- and middle-income countries. Sample research initiatives
and laboratories to host fellows include faculty in the Swarms Lab and CITRIS Berkeley
Water and Smart Cities initiatives. Fellows will commit to returning to the Philippines
and further development of ideas will be performed there as much as possible.
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2. Energy: Infrastructure and Device Catalyst Program
a. Micro-Grid Systems and Alternative Energy Technologies Catalyst Program: The
development of new alternative energy technologies and micro-grid systems will be
test-bedded in the Philippines. Promising technologies and systems, reviewed by the
PCARI Board and input from industry experts, will be further developed for
implementation in the Philippines. Visiting fellows from the Philippines will have
opportunities to work at relevant test-beds and laboratories at UC Berkeley and CITRIS
Berkeley (e.g. energy efficiency test-beds in Cory and Sutardja Dai Halls, the Marvell
Nanolab, etc.)
b. Synthetic Biology Catalyst Program: Research projects and training programs in
Synthetic Biology would build on the existing research expertise and infrastructure at
the Synthetic Biology Institute to speed the development of biologically engineered
solutions to pressing global problems related to health, materials, energy, environment,
and security. The biodiversity of the Philippines presents enormous opportunities for
the exploration and development of a pipeline and portfolio of biofuels that will enable
the Philippines to leapfrog into the development of a promising new industry.
c. Master’s and Capstone Training Program: As with resilient infrastructure training and
based on the successful M.Eng. capstone program of the UC Berkeley College of
Engineering’s Fung Institute, a training program with online, Philippine, and UC
components will enable teams of promising Filipino engineers and scientists to study the
development and implementation of promising technologies supported by the Institute.
d. Fellowship Program: Select fellows (faculty and researchers from the Philippines) will
spend time in UC Berkeley laboratories, studying technologies and advancing ideas
designed to meet the needs of the Philippines and other low- and middle-income
countries. Fellows will commit to returning to the Philippines and further development
of ideas will be performed there as much as possible.
3. Online Education and E-Government
a. Online Education and E-Government Catalyst Program: Promising pedagogical systems
and content are being developed at UC Berkeley, particularly in the Department of
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences for online certificate programs. Systems
and content applicable to the Philippine educational system and the institute research
and catalyst programs will be co-developed to increase education throughout the
Philippines. Additionally, applications in CITRIS Berkeley’s Data and Democracy initiative
are enabling greater civic participation in government. Promising collaborative research
projects will be reviewed by the PCARI Board with input from academic and industry
experts and then developed for the Philippines.
b. Master’s and Training Programs: Building from newly produced online courses in
computer science and artificial intelligence as well as an upcoming Master of Advanced
Studies in Integrated Circuit Design program, educational content and pedagogical
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programs from world renowned faculty in the College of Engineering will be made
available to Philippine academic institutions.
c. Capstone Projects: Teams of researchers and students from UC Berkeley and the
Philippines will study the implementation and efficacy of the systems and content
developed for the Philippines. These studies will enhance the development of
government systems and promising online business models for education.
d. Fellowship Program: Select fellows (faculty and researchers from the Philippines) will
spend time at UC Berkeley and the vibrant Silicon Valley to deepen their knowledge of
online educational systems and companies developing educational and e-government
content in the US. Fellows will commit to returning to the Philippines and further
development of ideas will be performed there as much as possible.
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6. Resources
ERDT
UCB / CITRIS BERKELEY
AMP (Algorithms, Machines, People) Lab
Working at the intersection of three massive trends: powerful machine learning, cloud computing, and
crowd-sourcing, the AMPLab is integrating Algorithms, Machines, and People to make sense of Big Data.
We are creating a new generation of analytics tools to answer deep questions over dirty and
heterogeneous data by extending and fusing machine learning, warehouse-scale computing and human
computation. We validate these ideas on real-world problems including participatory sensing, urban
planning, and personalized medicine with our application and industrial partners.
Berkeley Institute of Design
The Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) is a research/teaching unit that fosters a new and deeply
interdisciplinary approach to design for the 21st century: The design and realization of rich, interactive
environments which are shaped by the human activities they support.
Here "environments" include architectural spaces, products, web sites, and other artifacts that support
complex human activity. The program combines technical and social/humanist perspectives on design. It
acknowledges that design in the era of ubiquitous technologies means not only technical innovation, but
deep understanding of behavior and the experience that technology should enhance. It mixes
engineering design with psychology, social sciences and art practice. It combines Berkeley's rigor in
engineering with its commitment to social values and critical reflection.
 Educate students on the breadth of topics that are important for 21st century design
 Develop students' skills in team-work, communication, and creativity
 Promote excellence in the practice of design within and across professions
 Expose students to real-world design problems and bringing concepts to reality
 Cultivate students' ability to express, evoke and shape experience through design
 Foster critical reflection on technology and the contexts that shape its use
 Create a generation of designers who lead product development in large companies
Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science (E3S)
The Center for E3S is a Science and Technology Center (STC) funded by the National Science Foundation’s
Integrative Partnerships Program, and is a consortium of world class academic institutions. Faculty from
across Electrical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering are working in a collaborative and
innovative environment to make fundamental and conceptual breakthroughs in the underlying physics,
chemistry, and materials science of electronic systems, breakthroughs needed to reduce these systems’
energy consumption by orders of magnitude.
Energy Initiative
The faculty in the CITRIS Berkeley initiative offer a variety of research in renewable energy; nuclear
energy; and carbon capture and storage, among others. The energy initiative remains focused on
tapping the powers of information technology to boost energy efficiency and minimize our
environmental footprint while preserving or improving the quality of life for every individual in every
nation.
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Researchers are developing medium-range solutions to promote low-cost energy efficiency. Projects
such as programmable communicating thermostats would abate a large volume of carbon at virtually no
cost, allowing families to save money while minimizing environmental impacts.
We are perfectly positioned to address these medium-range energy conservation challenges in the US
and the Philippines with techniques such as environmental monitoring by “smart dust” wireless sensors,
the use of advanced materials for improved photovoltaic cells, and building more efficient thermal
electric generators and better energy storage units. Researchers are also developing advanced control
and sensing devices that aim to boost the efficiency of both alternatively and conventionally fueled
automobile engines.
Data and Democracy Initiative
The mission of the CITRIS Berkeley Data and Democracy Initiative is to advance information and
communications technologies such as mobile applications and social media that will allow individuals of
all backgrounds to enhance their individual and collective awareness, participation, discovery, and
decision-making related to critical civic and societal issues. The Data and Democracy Initiative is
collaborating with UC Berkeley’s Center for New Media (BCNM), Human Rights Center, Social Apps
Lab, and the Algorithms, Machines, and People (AMP) Lab among others along with companies,
government and non-profit organizations.
Marvell Nanolab
In 2001 the Marvell Nanolab sprang from the Berkeley MicroLab, the birthplace for numerous paradigmshifting technologies, including MEMS, FinFET transistors, and micro-fluidic self assembly.
The facility houses a world-class nanotechnology laboratory that occupies a two-story, 15,000-squarefoot space and is available to students, staff, faculty, and industry members to prototype a wide range
of new biosensors, photonics devices, and other MEMS/NEMS sensors.
The Marvell NanoLab is already acting as a regional center for research, drawing use from fledgling
entrepreneurs who need the lab to breathe life into their new ideas, as well as industry leaders such as
Intel and HP, which use the lab to explore new materials for advanced microelectronic devices.
Smart City Initiative
The Adaptive Cities Initiative led by CITRIS Berkeley builds on a decade of problem and application
focused research at Berkeley and sister UC campuses and aims to transform the way in which cities view
their infrastructures and how those infrastructures are designed, managed, renovated and replaced, to
significantly promote ‘livability’ - social wellbeing, cultural richness; creativity and entrepreneurship;
individual, community and environmental health leading to economic growth benefitting all.
This Initiative is unique, based as it is on the notion that the invention of the wireless sensor network
will enable truly ‘intelligent, adaptive and human-centered’ infrastructures of all sorts. The Adaptive
Cities Initiative will demonstrate that this technology, combined with sophisticated analysis, modeling,
and communication tools and in the context of innovative aesthetics, can enable the truly adaptive city;
a city, the infrastructure of which can evolve in synch with the changing needs and aspirations of its
citizens.
Swarm Lab
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Led by Professor Jan Rabaey and launched with major support from Qualcomm Inc., the Swarm Lab
explores and develops smart sensor networks that can be embedded in walls, streets and even the
human body. These trillions of tiny, wireless sensors—collectively known as “the swarm”— will capture
information about ourselves and our world and provide new ways of interacting. The lab serves as an
incubator for swarm applications and platforms. Potential applications for the technology include
systems that monitor environmental conditions, energy use and personal health. Down the road,
swarms are expected to augment reality by creating 3D simulations complete with such sensory
experiences as touch, sound and smell.
Synthetic Biology
The Synthetic Biology Institute at UC Berkeley (SBI) was established in 2010 to clear a path to the
widespread production of new biological systems to benefit society. Through the combined effort of its
researchers, partners and Industry Members, SBI is developing the standards and technologies needed
to create transformative applications in energy, materials, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food products,
security, and other industries that affect our daily lives.
Led by Professor Adam Arkin and colleagues and an interdisciplinary institute in its essence, SBI draws
on the work of researchers representing eight departments in four colleges at UC Berkeley and three
divisions at nearby Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Agilent Technologies, Inc., based in Santa
Clara, Calif., is SBI’s founding Industry Member, and SBI is working to bring more companies into fruitful
relationships with the institute. Berkeley engineers and scientists already have taken a leading global
role in synthetic biology research. SBI builds on this base, providing new opportunities for research
collaboration and education, as well as a common technology infrastructure.
Two key research areas related to energy and the development of industry in the Philippines are
Biofuels and Specialty Chemicals:
1. Biofuels:
The richness and versatility of biological systems make them ideally suited to solve some of the world’s
must pressing challenges, including the conversion of cheap, renewable resources into energy-rich
molecules. The U.S. Department of Energy, for example, has identified at least 120 chemicals as highvalue targets for bio-manufacture that can be created from biological feedstocks. SBI is developing the
infrastructure needed to make bioenergy abundant, affordable, and sustainable. Considerable progress
has already been made toward engineering microorganisms to produce fuels, but the more advanced
tools of synthetic biology will be needed to achieve a true breakthrough in the biologic production of
energy. New directions may involve optimization of plants for growth in currently non-arable soils,
better enzymes for decomposition, and biodirected light-harvesting materials for direct conversion of
sunlight into electricity or fuel. Similar tools are already being created by SBI in its other applications
focus areas. These include well-characterized gene-expression components and hosts for chemical
synthesis, bioinformatic approaches for the identification of useful enzymes and functions from
sequence and functional genomics data, tools for enzyme and pathway design, standards for the
connection of these components to make larger functioning devices, computer-aided design software,
and debugging tools for biological designs.
2. Specialty Chemicals:
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A vast number of naturally occurring biological systems can convert simple substrates into the products
that cells need for growth and survival. Synthetic biology could harness this biotransformation potential
to produce many other chemicals that address unmet clinical and industrial needs. At SBI, researchers
are developing new computational tools and methods for high-throughput system assembly and
analysis to enable the production of drugs, bulk chemicals, and fuels in microbial hosts. Recent
improvements in synthetic biology techniques already have yielded successes, and SBI initiatives will
build on these advances, including work toward better macromolecular engineering tools, highthroughput screening of biomolecular activities, and better modular and predictable control of central
cellular processes such as gene expression, protein folding and stability, and secretion.
Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER)
Led by Professor Eric Brewer, TIER is a research group at the University of California at Berkeley,
investigating the design and deployment of new technologies for emerging regions. TIER focuses on
developing a hardware/software infrastructure explicitly designed for the physical, political and
economic realities of developing areas. TIER’s work builds on existing research at Berkeley and
elsewhere, but also faces a number of new technical and organizational challenges. Our projects address
these challenges with novel technology, while validating the impact through real-world deployments.
We also aim to provide set of guidelines and techniques that can be then used by corporations or the
government to enable solutions that are currently intractable. Sample current relevant projects include:
a. Healthcare: Low-cost WiFi networks for local broadband telemedicine; mobile phones as a
platform for health-related applications; and remote medical consultation
b. Education: Mobile applications for language/literacy and sharing of educational content. The
inclusion of additional faculty not currently affiliated with TIER presents opportunities to
develop online education and e-government capabilities on low-cost WiFi networks.
Intelligent Water Infrastructure Initiative
The Intelligent Water Infrastructure Initiatives led by faculty in CITRIS Berkeley (Professors Steve Glaser
and Alex Bayen) believes that a unified water monitoring system based on cyber-physical sensing and
modeling infrastructure will enable California and the world to operate their water systems more
efficiently and effectively; helping cities, regions, states and countries to adapt to climate change,
population growth and changing demographics
The initiative brings together world-leading expertise that has developed the essential building blocks
for ‘intelligent infrastructures’, and is developing a research program to establish the engineering
principles and a ‘blue print’ for Intelligent Water Infrastructures, using California as its ‘test’ and first
implementation site.
The problem of supplying water to a population of more than 35 million people in a semi-arid state is
exacerbated by:



limitations in the availability of new surface water storage (and the political challenges in developing
new surface storage facilities);
a massive, complex, expensive, energy-demanding, and over-allocated system for state-wide
conveyance of fresh water;
rapid population growth and associated demand for infrastructure in some of the driest parts of the
state;
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

a changing climate that influences the magnitude, timing, locations, and forms of fresh water
available throughout the year; and
the need to plan for variability and uncertainty.
Based in California with technologies and systems applicable worldwide, the initiative uses information
technology to address these and related challenges.
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C.) INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INNOVATION AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
1. Goal:
To create a 21st-century health institute in the Philippines, with innovative research, training and
implementation goals to advance health and economic growth in the country, with regional and global
influence.
2.Background:
The Universities of California at San Francisco and Berkeley propose to partner with the Philippine
government and a consortium of academic institutions (i.e. University of Philippines/Philippine General
Hospital, Engineering Research Development & Technology (ERDT) consortium, and others), to establish
a collaborative institute for health innovation and translational medicine. The institute will bring
together experts in health, health policy, education and training, research, and technological innovation,
to address pressing domestic health challenges, improve delivery of health care, expand research and
development capacity, and drive technological innovation in the Philippines and beyond. Building on
existing models and expertise, the institute will focus on developing robust scientific, research, policy
and clinical capacity within the Philippines as an engine for long-term development, while providing a
venue for introducing new methods of device and drug development, testing and implementation of
high quality, cost-sensitive models of delivering healthcare, and improving the health and economic
potential of the Filipino population.
In bringing to bear the resources and expertise of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and
the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) in partnership with the Philippine Universities (University of
Philippines/Philippine General Hospital, Engineering Research Development & Technology (ERDT)
consortium, and others), the institute will catalyze the development of infrastructure and expertise in
the Philippines, resulting in retention of talent in the Philippines, and spurring domestic innovation in all
aspects of health and healthcare – education, development, delivery and outcomes. This effort will not
be designed to compete with US and European academic centers and businesses but, rather, will take
advantage of lower cost of development, and seek to develop new models for delivering high quality,
cost-effective health care, which can be shared with other low- and middle-income countries across the
region.
3.Strategic Focus Areas:
The institute will include programs that advance three strategic areas, each of which will advance the
economy and health of the Philippines
1. Therapeutic and diagnostic products
2. Resilient infrastructure to advance research and healthcare
3. Education and training
Programs that will advance each of these areas will focus on:
1. Health device development
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Drug development
Digital health and telemedicine
Clinical research
Cost-effective healthcare delivery & policy
Global health & outcomes
Administrative and collaborative support infrastructure.
4. Research Focus, Projects and Impact
The Institute for Health Innovation and Translational Medicine will partner with Philippine universities
and leverage key research strengths of UCSF and UC Berkeley in device, drug and diagnostic
development, clinical research, telehealth and implementation sciences. Through a vetting process
involving academic and industry leaders from the Philippines and the Bay Area, a series of high impact
projects will be selected. Projects will be required to meet the health needs of the Philippines and must
also be primarily developed there. For illustration purposes, potential projects could include:
a. Affordable ventilator. Ventilators currently on the market are not affordable for low- and
middle-income countries, leading to case fatality rates much higher than necessary for common
reversible causes of respiratory failure, such as pneumonia, stroke, and trauma. The University
of the Philippines (UP) has designed and built a prototype ventilator, the Pulmo II, which can be
produced at a fraction of the cost of current ventilators. Utilizing a network of experts in
bioengineering, translational medicine, business, and regulation, both within the University of
California and in the surrounding Silicon Valley and Bay Area, we will create plans to produce,
test, and distribute affordable ventilators, with the goal of creating a new company within the
Philippines meeting the market needs for low- and middle-income countries across the world.
In addition, such ventilators could be extremely valuable for high-income countries, which are
recognizing that current resources are inadequate to address potential needs during a
widespread epidemic and are evaluating plans for stockpiling large numbers of ventilators.
b. Diagnostic test and targeted drug therapy for schistosomiasis. Schistosomiasis remains
endemic in many parts of the Philippines and is a major cause of morbidity, with a 4.1%
prevalence in 1996. Testing for schistosomiasis is currently delayed and expensive, limiting its
utility in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, no available drug kills all forms of the
parasite in humans. Through the existing UC Catalyst program, an investigator is developing a
rapid, inexpensive test for schistosomiasis, and his lab has now identified a potential molecular
candidate for a new highly effective drug. Through partnerships with Philippine investigators,
development of the test and the new drug into products is proposed. For the test, an
inexpensive kit will be developed and validated in endemic areas using personnel trained
through the new institute. For the drug candidate, after medicinal chemistry is completed, the
drug itself will be produced in the Philippines and tested there in clinical trials, performed in
institute-developed clinical research centers by its trained personnel. Through consultation, a
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plan for implementation of both the test and existing or new drugs will be developed so that the
Philippines can become a model for control of schistosomiasis.
c. Affordable portable ultrasound devices for use by an array of practitioners. Ultrasound has
great potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and care in low- and middle-income countries
but current technologies have been too expensive and have required highly trained operators,
such as physicians. For this project, expertise at UCB and UCSF will be leveraged to evaluate
current options for developing new ultrasound devices and interpreting software, with the goal
of assessing whether a new company in the Philippines could meet the need. In parallel, models
of utilizing ultrasound—such as in obstetric and emergency care—will be tested, evaluating
models for training local healthcare workers with central vs. distributed interpretation, taking
advantage of components of IIID efforts. The goal will be to lead the world in cost-effective
development of ultrasound devices and the systems that can be employed sustainably in lowand middle-income countries.
d. Rapid and affordable diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Investigators at UC have developed a
prototype device that can sensitively detect tuberculosis from exhaled breath of infected
patients. Such a device could allow for rapid detection and treatment of TB cases in low- and
middle-income countries, and may also have a market in high-income countries where costs of
delayed diagnoses are substantial. The current device prototype requires further validation,
which could efficiently be performed in collaboration with Philippine investigators. If successful,
production models will be developed through partnership with the Philippine investigators and
companies. Systems for deploying these devices broadly will also be developed collaboratively
to assure broad and effective implementation.
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Chart 2: Institute for Health Innovation & Translational Medicine – Example Projects.
Products
Therapies
Affordable Ventilator
UC: Michael Matthay
Schistosomiasis
Treatment
UC: Conner Caffrey
Bioactive Hydrogels for
Cardiac Treatment
UC: Kevin Healy
ERDT: Tammy de la Rosa,
Jose Nevado (all of above)
Resilient Infrastructures
Education & Training
Clinical research services
to support clinical trials of
treatments
ERDT:
UC: C. William Balke
Training in drug and device
development
UC: Tejal Desai
Consultation in product
development and approval
ERDT:
UC: June Lee
Training in Clinical
Research Methods to
evaluate new therapies &
devices
UC: Deborah Grady
Systems and Synthetic
Biology
ERDT: Giselle Concepcion,
Toto Olivera, Fabina Orata,
Cynthia Hedreyda
UC: Adam Arkin, Claire
Tomlin, Wendell Lim
Rapid detection of M.
tuberculosis
Diagnostics
ERDT: Tammy de la Rosa,
Jose Nevado
UC: Philip Hopewell
Affordable ultrasound in
prenatal care
ERDT: Greg Tanongan,
Adrian Valdez
UC: Shuvo Roy
Consultation in assay
development, validation &
clinical utility
ERDT:
UC: Laura van’t Veer
Consultation on guideline
development for
diagnostic use
ERDT:
UC: Lisa Bero
Online education to train
health care workers in
remote clinical
interpretation
ERDT: Tammy de la Rosa,
Rowena Guevarra
UC: Philip Darney
Low-cost and POC
Diagnostics
ERDT: Aaron Villaraza,
UC: Bernhard Boser, Luke
Lee, Amy Herr
CellScope
ERDT: Tammy de la Rosa,
Jose Nevado
UC: Dan Fletcher
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Systems
Telemedicine: Centralized
analysis of remotely
acquired clinical data
ERDT: Pros Naval
UC: Neil Cohen
Body Sensor Networks
ERDT
UC: Ruzena Bajcsy, Edmund
Seto
Registries
ERDT: Tammy de la Rosa,
Jose Nevado
UC: Gregory Marcus
Safe Water
ERDT: Greg Tangonan
UC: Kara Nelson, Ashok
Gadgil
eLearning in global health
infrastructure
ERDT: Luis Sison
UC: Jaime Sepulveda
eLearning in
implementation and
dissemination sciences
ERDT: Luis Sison
UC: Ralph Gonzales
Secure Wireless Systems
for Healthcare
Infrastructure
ERDT: Manuel Ramos,
Susan Festin
UC: Eric Brewer, Ruzena
Bajcsy
5.Programs:
The institute programs will include:
1. Health device development.
e. Device Catalyst Program: New device ideas from the Philippines, or ideas proposed at
UCB/UCSF for which a faculty partner exists in the Philippines, will be vetted by a joint
review group also including experts from industry (e.g., venture capitalists, CEOs of
successful companies, clinical development consultants). For promising proposals,
groups of experts will be engaged to move these along the development pipeline to
bring them to the market. Device development teams will be matched with experts in
engineering, business, science, and clinical implementation. Teams will be carefully
constructed with appropriate expertise matched to the need of the device to be
developed, and interactions orchestrated to take ideas through various stages of
vetting, improvement and regulatory approval. Seed funding will be available, with the
requirement that at least two thirds should be spent in the Philippines. Any companies
created must be formed in the Philippines and not in the US. Similar Catalyst programs
have been successful at UCSF/UCB through CTSI and QB3.
f. Device Master’s Training Program: A training program with online, Philippine, and UC
components will train promising Filipino engineers, scientists, and healthcare
professionals. Although most training can occur in the Philippines, at least 3 months in
the Bay Area will be required for networking and to experience models of successful
multidisciplinary development. The program will be adapted from the successful
UCB/UCSF Master’s in Translational Medicine (MTM). Students will learn the skills to
integrate the science, technology and business expertise required to drive scientific
discoveries into public use for the improvement of health.
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g. Device Development Fellowship Program: Select fellows (faculty from the Philippines)
will spend time in UCB/UCSF laboratories and with Bay Area companies, advancing
device ideas designed to meet needs in the Philippines and other low- and middleincome countries. Fellows will commit to returning to the Philippines and further
development of ideas will be performed there as much as possible.
2. New models for drug/diagnostics development.
h. Drug/Diagnostics Catalyst Program: Similarly to devices, ideas from the Philippines or
from a UC faculty member with a Philippine partner, will be vetted and teams will be
created around those with compelling new ideas for drug development, bringing in
venture capital leaders, Intellectual property experts, scientists and clinicians to vet the
science, commercialization prospects and implementation considerations as quickly as
possible to efficiently accelerate promising candidates. To move candidates from
promising to first-in-human, efficiently run Phase 1 clinical research hubs will help
confirm potential. As for devices, at least two-thirds of resources should be spent in the
Philippines, including the conduct of clinical trials.
i. Synthetic Biology: Research projects and training programs in Synthetic Biology would
build on the existing research expertise and infrastructure at the Synthetic Biology
Institute to speed the development of biologically engineered solutions to pressing
global problems related to health, materials, energy, environment, and security. The
biodiversity of the Philippines presents enormous opportunities for the exploration and
development of a pipeline and portfolio of new specialty chemicals and drugs that will
enable the Philippines to leapfrog into the development of a promising new industry.
j. Drug-Diagnostics Focused Master’s Training Program: As with device training, this is a
program with online, Philippine, and UC components that will train promising Filipino
engineers, scientists, and healthcare professionals. The program will be adapted from
the successful UCB/UCSF Master’s in Translational Medicine (MTM) but will include
additional focus on drug development.
k. Drug-Diagnostic Development Fellowship Program: Select fellows (faculty from the
Philippines) will spend time in UCB/UCSF laboratories and with Bay Area companies,
advancing drug/diagnostics ideas designed to meet needs in the Philippines and other
low- and middle-income countries. Fellows will commit to returning to the Philippines
and further development of ideas will be performed there as much as possible.
3. Digital Health & Telemedicine
l.
Catalyst Program in Digital Health: Advancing high quality, cost-effective healthcare
requires strong information technology infrastructure. In addition, major advances in
reducing costs of delivery of essential services are catalyzed through health IT and
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telemedicine innovation - be it building networked kiosks to enable rapid do-it-yourself
diagnosis and treatment for those at a distance from a medical center, creating mobile
applications for the collection of data from cellphones to inform nation-wide health
assessment and planning, or telemedicine to provide expert consultation in remote
areas. The digital health and telemedicine program will be bidirectional.
i. As with other Catalyst programs, the institute will provide a pipeline for ideas
coming from the Philippines to be vetted and improved by technologists and
business strategists as well as scientists with Global Health expertise and
perspective on generalizability, and implementation expertise to ensure that the
delivery system optimizes healthcare value. As a world-hub for information
technology, Philippine applicants can take full advantage of the experts and
financiers in the area.
ii. The institute will match innovations in telemedicine and digital health from UC
Berkeley and UCSF to delivery needs. Innovations such as wireless technologies
for long-haul cell transmissions and telemicroscopy developed at UC Berkeley,
and more broadly in health monitoring and intelligent data extraction will be
matched against Philippines needs and researcher interest to accelerate their
development for local contexts. Assessments of cost and effectiveness of
telemedicine rollouts by UCSF as part of its medical center initiatives will be
integrated into plans for larger scale rollouts in the Philippines. UCSF’s strong
faculty and programs in healthcare implementation and dissemination sciences
will be paired with researchers and relevant technologies to develop tested
solutions for the Philippines that leverage cutting-edge engineering.
m. Certificate Program in Digital Health: Building on existing course work at UCB and UCSF,
we will create a new blended online-local training program in digital health that will
include courses in informatics, health improvement, implementation sciences, software
platforms, and entrepreneurship.
n. Fellowship in Digital Health: Similar to other fellowship programs, fellows from the
Philippines would be supported to work on ideas meeting needs there. The
opportunities are tremendous given local activity both within UCB/UCSF and in the
broader Bay Area community.
4. Clinical Research.
a. Clinical Research Infrastructure: One of the great strategic advantages of the Philippines
is the low cost of clinical studies and its robust health professions workforce. To gain
leadership in health innovations, its academic centers must create and coordinate
clinical research services to streamline all aspects of clinical research. Models at UCSF
can be adapted to the Philippines to create such centers at several Universities, where
all types of clinical research (registries, observational studies, all phases of clinical trials,
health services research, health policy) can be performed efficiently. In-country training
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programs and videoconferencing linkages to UCSF centers would offer additional
opportunities to cross-train and invigorate both communities.
b. Certificate and Master’s Programs in Clinical Research: Building upon existing curricula
in the Philippines and at UCSF/UCB, including proven online courses, the institute will
support a spectrum of training opportunities arming Filipino MDs, RNs, and other
research professionals with the science of clinical research. Human subjects training,
research ethics, implementation & dissemination sciences, research design, biostatistics,
and scientific writing will be components of these programs. Mentorship and available
consulting services are opportunities to enhance the training.
c. Certificate in Good Clinical Practice: To achieve and maintain first rate clinical research
activities, research staff need to be trained in good clinical practice, including research
design, responsible conduct of research, and regulatory issues. Models at UCSF, as well
as commercial entities, will be adapted to provide online and blended training
programs.
5. Cost-effective healthcare delivery & policy
a. Catalyst program: Identifying mechanisms to deliver innovations in healthcare costeffectively are key to advancing the ultimate goal of improving health. Several of the
most common diseases and conditions in the Philippines match those of the US, so
there is great potential to leverage cost-saving innovations based on US research to
identify how best to apply to the Philippines environment. The field of global health
research also provides a wealth of experience and existing models that match health
research advances, especially in infectious disease and child and maternal health to the
delivery mechanisms necessary in the unique environments of international locales.
The institute will utilize an existing institute recently created at UCSF that focuses on
cost-effective healthcare interventions in conjunction with the strong UC Global Health
Sciences program to identify promising intervention strategies that may be tested and
utilized in the Philippines. Similarly, healthcare needs from the Philippines can be
matched with the right mix of implementation and dissemination researchers,
economists, policy and epidemiological researchers to craft new intervention strategies
customized to the Philippines environment that reduce cost while improving health.
Finally, engineering advances such as UCBs Safe Water initiative, will be integrated into
healthcare solutions.
b. Health Financing Joint Research: Economics and Policy faculty from UCB/UCSF will
conduct joint research with faculty and doctoral students in the new institute in order to
strengthen Philippines-based capacity for independent study and analysis on health
insurance structure, reporting and payment systems, service mix, capitation and
diagnostic appropriateness, inter alia.
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c. Health Policy and Finance: Economics and Policy faculty from UCB/UCSF will collaborate
with faculty from the new institute to provide policy analysis and strategic planning
input to both the Ministry of Health and PhilHealth on current and future health needs,
market-based delivery mix, and investment strategies for both public health and health
service delivery.
d. Private Sector Health Policy: UCSF faculty will work with local government and
academics on both direct data collection and policy analysis for decision making on
issues such as the value-for-money of new PPP opportunities for hospital financing, the
inclusion of new services and expanded registration of private providers for PhilHealth
reimbursements (competition vs. cost of measurement for example). The data and
expertise generated will be shared with neighboring countries through the Asia Pacific
Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
(http://www.wpro.who.int/asia_pacific_observatory/APOHSP.html), and the Asian
Network on Health System Strengthening (http://www.anhss.org/). Graduate students
will be involved in all activities in order to develop a cadre of experts capable of
effective management of the multi-faceted Philippines mixed market health system,
both inside government and in financing and professional regulatory organizations.
e. Disease Registry Program: Several countries have used national registries to improve
healthcare while reducing costs, most notably Sweden and the UK. UCSF has helped to
create and manage registries in several disease areas. Assisting the Philippines with
implementing registries for its disease priorities could help it to further its position as a
model for healthcare delivery.
6. Global health & outcomes
a. Strengthening capacity for translating the scientific evidence base into effective
interventions on important health care issues: There is an increasing body of evidence
of what works and what does not in delivering health interventions in different settings.
This translation of research evidence to policy, and the implementation of those policies
into populations, along with the monitoring and evaluation of the delivery component,
constitutes the new field of implementation sciences. The institute will partner with
Philippine researchers and policymakers to strengthen research, health programming
and health care policy based on synthesis of best scientific evidence.
b. Strengthening capacity to fight disease and improve health: In 2010, the Philippines
ranked 7th among the countries with the largest tuberculosis burdens and 6th among
those with the largest burdens of multidrug resistant TB in the world. TB particularly
affects young adults, when they are most economically productive. While it is
implementing national efforts to combat the diseases, the Philippines continues to bear
the burden of malaria and dengue – two diseases that also cause major suffering and a
drag on worker productivity. The institute will leverage UCSF/UCB expertise in
designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programs to strengthen Philippine
capacity and current initiatives to address these and other critical population health
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issues, to help overcome barriers to broader economic development in the Philippines.
Examples include: partnering with the Philippines to strengthen and develop innovative
surveillance and monitoring programs for malaria and dengue; providing technical
assistance on novel approaches to prevention of HIV/AIDS; and providing technical
support to further strengthen the country’s TB program and research capacity covering
all elements of the Global Stop TB Strategy.
c. Reducing maternal mortality: Maternal mortality remains a major issue in the
Philippines. UCSF researchers will partner with the Philippines to identify leading causes
of morbidity and mortality, and leverage extensive experience from working in many
countries and settings to support development of national policies and plans. These
plans will be supported with training to develop the next generation of women’s health
leaders in the Philippines, as well as support to create an evidence-based curriculum for
OB/Gyn residency within Philippines medical schools.
d. Interprofessional training: For health sciences professional students (Medical, Dentistry,
Pharmacy & Nursing), rhe institute will partner with Philippine university to provide
curriculum and training to educate professional students in necessary skills in research,
policy, leadership, etc to prepare them for the multiplicity of needs in translational
medicine.
e. Global Health & Interprofessional Certificate, Master’s and other Education and Training
Programs: Using a multi-disciplinary approach, the institute will offer different
modalities to address the education and training needs of students, academics and
others in leadership positions in health policy, health care, research and development:
i. The Global Health Sciences (GHS) MS degree is a one-year, four-quarter
program designed for students or practitioners in a health science profession or
related field who wish to achieve mastery and leadership skills in the emerging
field of global health. Emerging leaders in health and related academic fields
could be funded and enrolled in the MS degree program.
ii. Certificate Programs targeted to specific professional development goals can be
developed and presented to academics and working professionals in the
Philippines. These programs can be structured as a one-time short term
program offered in the Philippines. Or, the in-country program may be
combined with a longer term research based experience that could include
defined time periods of direct mentorship by UCSF faculty in San Francisco.
iii. Sandwich Training Programs are a unique educational paradigm directed to
building science and technology capacity by providing knowledge relevant for
Masters and PhD-level global health students. The program uses a “sandwich”
model of training in which students complete the initial part of their training in
their home university, attend UCSF for advanced training in education and
research, and return home to complete a thesis on a topic appropriate to their
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country’s health and development needs. The final degree is granted by the
home university.
iv. Professional Development Courses, Fellowships and Academic Exchanges
represent a range of individual educational and programmatic interventions
that focus on the specific capacity building needs that would be identified
through careful and collaborative planning that most effectively takes place
over time. For example we could offer: a) faculty development programs that
build the skills and knowledge necessary to support the introduction of
innovative curricula in the health professions schools; b) Short courses in stem
cell biology could be offered for laboratory support personnel or for junior
faculty and graduate students as part of a long term plan for developing stem
cell programs; or, c) Fellowship training in areas such as maternal and child care
and research.
7. Administrative and Collaborative Support Infrastructure
The institute will be supported by a robust administrative and planning core, which will provide
the central organizing and management features essential for sustaining and coordinating the
activities of a complex multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional institute. Critical to the
Institute’s long range success is the need to bridge over institutional bureaucracies,
complications of moving and integrating people and resources across and within organizations
and creating a mission critical culture of adoption of innovation and facilitating change.
The administrative and planning cores at both the lead Philippine University and at UCSF/UCB
will have responsibility for coordination within their individual institution(s), as well as for
ensuring close collaboration and coordination across institutions. The cores will be responsible
for leading organizational planning – leveraging resources and institutional strengths and
enthusiasm, and bringing together teams from the participating institutions to map out program
objectives, critical paths and resource requirements. They will also be responsible for
developing and overseeing clearly defined multi-year programs and budget plans. Early on, an
inventory of institutional expertise and opportunities will be created to serve as a baseline and
ever-evolving benchmark of the partnership’s prospects and growth.
Key programs included in the administrative cores will include:
a. Institute expertise profiling: An online expertise profiling and mining tool, already in use
at UCSF, will be extended to partners at UCB and in the Philippines so that partnerships
can be developed more rapidly and fruitfully (see UCSF Profiles).
b. Collaboration environment: An enhanced institute website will include collaboration
tools and detailed materials for outsiders and insiders.
c. Communications: A communications office will manage frequent internal and external
communications so that the institute quickly gains traction at an international level.
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d. Assessment: An assessment office will use industry best practices (e.g., metrics,
benchmarking, Toyota Lean methods) to assure that each project and program funded
delivers an excellent product.
e. Exchange office: Visitors to either country will be assisted with visas and advice on
housing, banking, and other requirements.
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6. Resources
ERDT
UCSF/UCB joint programs
1. Masters in Translational Medicine (MTM): The MTM program is a new joint master’s program
between UCSF and UC Berkeley. Created in 2010, it seeks to develop the world’s future leaders in
healthcare delivery, research and education. The complexities of the future of healthcare require new
approaches, based in medicine and biosciences but also informed by engineering contributions,
advances in technology, a solid understanding of cost analysis and business practices, knowledge of
clinical and regulatory requirements, and recognition of ethical issues that will arise in this complex
landscape. The MTM degree is geared at preparing students with such a background for healthcare
innovation and leadership.
2. Sample Translational Medicine Research Projects: The MTM program features research and capstone
projects that encourages students to think about how to develop technologies for medical treatments
“that are better, faster, cheaper” and to overcome the challenges inherent in new technology adoption.
Through courses and the hands-on capstone project, students will gain the well-rounded technical,
clinical, business, and regulatory understanding and address real-world needs. Below are a sampling of
research projects from both UCSF and UCB that highlight the kinds of projects selected for rapid
development and adoption:
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Magnetic Particle Imaging: Cancer Detection, Stem-Cell Tracking, and Cardiac Angiography
(Professor Steve Conolly, UC Berkeley)
Smarter Drug Delivery (Professor Tejal Desai, UCSF)
CellScope: A Cell-Phone Microcope for Disease Screening and Diagnosis (Professor Dan
Fletcher, UC Berkeley)
Pre-sealing the Amniotic Membrane (Professor Michael Harrison, UCSF)
Bioactive Hydrogels for Cardiac Tissue Engineering (Professor Kevin Healy, UC Berkeley)
Clinical and Point-of-Care Diagnostics (Assistant Professor Amy Herr, UC Berkeley)
Biomimetic Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering (Associate Professor Song Li, UC Berkeley)
Imaging for Cancer Treatment (Professor Sarah Nelson, UCSF)
Kidney Filtration System (Associate Professor Shuvo Roy, UCSF)
3. UCB/UCSF joint graduate program in bioengineering: This PhD program links two of the most
productive and highly regarded research institutions in the nation, creating a program that is one of the
top ranked bioengineering programs in the nation. The joint graduate program in bioengineering has
been a focus for collaboration between UCSF and UCB for over 26 years. During that period it has
stimulated numerous interactions between the two campuses and has enriched the opportunities for
graduate students to experience how engineering principles can be brought to bear upon important
problems in biology and medicine. The joint Ph.D. program encompasses broad aspects of
bioengineering and is focused on independent, original research to be completed with a Ph.D.
dissertation.
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UCSF
1. T1 Catalyst Program: A program designed to uniquely support early development of
diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics with expert consultation through the “translational gap”
through customized utilization of expert consultant panel comprised of industry experts (e.g.
development, regulatory, early stage investors, serial entrepreneurs, pharma executives, etc.).
The consultants help the researchers identify and enable appropriate next steps for the
translation of the discovery research and enable appropriate industry partnerships when
appropriate.
2. QB3: A joint venture between UC Berkeley, UCSF, and UCSC which provides mentorship and
support in incorporation of a new company, competitive gap funding opportunities, workspace
in QB3 Garage, and seed funding from Mission Bay Capital for exceptional entrepreneurs . QB3s
expertise is in –
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
De-risking research facilities in the university
Start-up-in-a-box training.
Developing and running a lean start-up incubator.
Facilitating the success of a start-up
University-based venture funds
3. CTSI Digital Health A program designed to match digital health ideas and prototypes from
clinicians and researchers with expert consultation from technology, venture capital, legal,
clinical and other experts.
4. UCSF Global Health Sciences Education & Training Programs
The Global Health Sciences (GHS) one-year Masters of Science degree is designed for students
or practitioners in a health science profession or related field who wish to achieve mastery and
leadership skills in the emerging field of global health.
The Global Health Clinical Scholars Program provides opportunities for UCSF graduate
healthcare professionals (UCSF residents, scholars, fellows, and postgraduate students) from the
Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and the Graduate Division to take courses
and pursue fieldwork opportunities in global health as part of their academic training.
The Sandwich Training Programs build science and technology capacity by providing knowledge
relevant for Masters and PhD-level global health students. See description above.
Epidemiology and Research Skills Training Courses: Global Health Sciences’ International
Training for AIDS Prevention Studies (ITAPS) program offers short and longer term training
courses for international researchers on critical research and writing skills
5.
Infectious Disease Research – Malaria-TB-HIV/AIDS
The UCSF Global Health Group provides intellectual and practical support for countries around
the world as they pursue goals of malaria elimination. The Group is working with countries to
develop new techniques for surveillance and elimination of malaria foci, and provides day-today management support for elimination to four countries in southern Africa. The Group is
currently partnering with the Philippines Department of Health and the WHO to document
progress toward malaria elimination, including a study on the costs and financing of malaria
elimination in five provinces. The Philippines is a member of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination
Network (APMEN), for which the Global Health Group serves as joint-secretariat.
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Tuberculosis Prevention & Treatment. UCSF faculty provide technical support and conduct
research in partnership with countries and the WHO to improve the detection and treatment of
tuberculosis, multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and HIV-associated TB.
The UCSF Prevention & Public Health Group provides in-depth capacity development and
technical support to countries in monitoring and evaluation and surveillance to strengthen
national strategic information systems, with a particular emphasis on using data to strengthen
HIV prevention and treatment programs. The UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)
conducts research and works with countries on novel approaches to prevention of HIV/AIDS.
6. Maternal & Reproductive Health. The UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. The
Center offers extensive experience in interventions to support safe motherhood, reproductive
infectious diseases (RID), family planning (FP), demographic evaluation, a midwifery education
program, and OB/Gyn fellowship training in RID and FP. The COE includes experts from across
the UC system including health and empowerment scientists from law, social sciences,
economics, women’s studies, etc.
7. Health Systems Financing & the Private Sector. The UCSF Global Health Group teaches
courses through the World Bank and the Asian Network for Health System Strengthening, and
seeks to work with countries to increase domestic capacity for engaging the private sector to
achieve public health and public policy goals.
8. Strengthening Policy through Use of Evidence. The UCSF Cochrane HIV/AIDS Collaborating
Center partners with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health
Organization, USAID and others to synthesize evidence to inform policy on HIV prevention and
treatment.
9. CTSI Clinical Research Services & Centers. 8 clinical research sites in diverse settings in San
Francisco (from hospitals to inner city community centers), expertise in business, clinical and
design aspects of conducting clinical research.
10. UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies [PRL-IHPS] A UCSF Research Institute
specializing in policy analysis and research on market-based delivery systems, healthcare
improvement and financing strategies for both public health and health service delivery.
11. Institute for Healthcare Value. A new institute at UCSF brings together the power of diverse
faculty ranging from health economists, hospitalists, policy researchers and epidemiologists as
well as payors (companies, insurers, medical centers) among others to test and disseminate
cost-effective interventions to improve health.
12. Clinical research training programs
a. UCSF Summer Research Methods Workshop – 2 courses provide an introduction to
clinical research methods and research ethics, as well as superb instruction in how to
critically read the medical literature.
b. UCSF Advanced Training in Clinical Research – a 1-year, 26 credit program that provides
training in all aspects of research methods, study design, ethics, biostatistics, data
management and scientific writing.
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c. UCSF Masters in Clinical Research - a 2-year, 32 credit program that provides training in
all aspects of research methods, as well as mentoring to help trainees develop, conduct
analyze and present their own research.
d. UCSF Program in Implementation and Dissemination Sciences -5 courses integrated into
the Training in Clinical Research Program that review the theory and evidence relating
to different strategies for translating evidence into practice, policy and public health.
e. UCSF Graduate Education in Medical Sciences – a multi-level program that trains
students in UCSF’s basic science PhD graduate and post-doctoral programs to conduct
research that translates findings from the laboratory to improve human health.
f. E-Learning program - Online and blended distance learning modules, including
education in clinical research methods, research ethics and clinical trials, and
customized online group facilitation.
13. UCSF Interprofessional training in the healthsciences – UCSFs ‘Pathways to Discovery’ program
provides a model mechanism for cross training medical, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry
students in related skills, such as translational research, leadership and policy and society.
14. UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTS)I Management Services CTSI’s mission of
accelerating research to improve health is achieved by developing sustainable, generalizable and
scalable models for delivering services, training and infrastructure to enable more efficient
impactful translational research. In addition to programs described above, other areas of
expertise relevant to the Philippines institute include
a. CTSI Virtual Home. A program focused on implementing and assessing systems to
discover expertise and develop networks among biomedical researchers.
b. CTSI Consultation Services. A program that creates brief and long-term consultation
relationships with UCSF faculty to address the specific questions and needs of scientists,
policymakers and community-based organizations.
c. CTSI Assessment Services. A program that develops approaches to assessing the impact
of organizations that enable biomedical research.
d. CTSI Administration. A program that enables efficient management of financial and
operational resources.
UC Berkeley
1. The Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases: seeks to accelerate the
development of new low-cost drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for infectious diseases that primarily or
disproportionately afflict people in developing countries. As a project of the University of California,
Berkeley, the Center brings unparalleled resources for cutting-edge research to global health challenges
that have been largely neglected by markets.
CEND seeks to:

Develop the intellectual community, interdisciplinary research projects, training
programs, and international partnerships needed to foster innovation in the diagnosis,
prevention, and treatment of emerging and neglected diseases;
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
Apply Berkeley's unparalleled expertise, technical capacity, and large-scale research
infrastructure to infectious disease challenges in the developing world;

Bring together new shared technical facilities, equipment, and scientific staff to enable
creative work across multiple departments on the Berkeley campus;

Establish an infrastructure for partnership between academic researchers, non-profit
product developers, and developing country drug manufacturers, to create a value
chain for neglected diseases that stretches from basic discovery to delivery.
2. Blum Center for Developing Economies: Numerous projects, including collaborations with UCSF
faculty, in low-cost healthcare devices and applications that can be developed and tested in the
Philippines.
a. Low-cost imaging: a device for low-cost imaging for diagnostics (CellScope) requires further
development in new applications (e.g. incorporating fluorescent microscopy) for the testing of
diagnostics for a variety of tropical diseases. Leading faculty include Professor Dan Fletcher.
b. Low-cost diagnostic devices: Lab-on-a-Chip devices developed at UC Berkeley already exist for
the diagnosis of Dengue fever. Collaboration would enable the development of similar chips for
other prevalent diseases in the Philippines and beyond. Leading faculty include Professors Luke
Lee and Bernhard Boser.
c. Low-cost imaging equipment: Work pioneered by Professor Steve Conolly promises
substantially reduced costs for imaging equipment, such as portable “office-size” models for a
range of imaging needs.
d. Safe Water: a low-cost ultraviolet disinfection device has been developed and tested in Sri
Lanka and elsewhere. Further research would be developed for water issues and contaminants
specifically applicable to the Philippines. Leading faculty in safe water include Professor Kara
Nelson.
3. Synthetic Biology Institute:
The Synthetic Biology Institute at UC Berkeley (SBI) was established in 2010 to clear a path to the
widespread production of new biological systems to benefit society. Through the combined effort of its
researchers, partners and Industry Members, SBI is developing the standards and technologies needed
to create transformative applications in energy, materials, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food products,
security, and other industries that affect our daily lives.
Led by Professor Adam Arkin and colleagues and an interdisciplinary institute in its essence, SBI draws
on the work of researchers representing eight departments in four colleges at UC Berkeley and three
divisions at nearby Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Agilent Technologies, Inc., based in Santa
Clara, Calif., is SBI’s founding Industry Member, and SBI is working to bring more companies into fruitful
relationships with the institute. Berkeley engineers and scientists already have taken a leading global
role in synthetic biology research. SBI builds on this base, providing new opportunities for research
collaboration and education, as well as a common technology infrastructure.
SBI’s key research area related to the healthcare industry in the Philippines is in medicine:
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Medicine: The Synthetic Biology Institute aims to realize the huge potential of synthetic biology in the
production of medicines and diagnostic compounds. Research is advancing the development both of
established classes of therapeutics — small molecules, proteins, and vaccines — and of potential new
classes based on engineered cells, microbes, viruses, or non-living agents with complex biological
compositions. These latter agents could have broad applications for medical problems that are not easily
solved with similar drugs; they may find use as anti-cancer agents, gene therapies, stem-cell therapies,
probiotics, and live vaccines. (The foundational research for many of these new applications is being
conducted by the Biohybrid Systems Design focus group at SBI.) Current projects in this SBI research
area include developing bacterial and immune-cell-based immunotherapies and vaccines, engineering
viral gene therapy systems for safe and effective delivery of genes to particular target tissues, and
coaxing stem cells into programmed tissues.
4. Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER): Led by Professor Eric Brewer, TIER is a
research group at the University of California at Berkeley, investigating the design and deployment of
new technologies for emerging regions. TIER focuses on developing a hardware/software infrastructure
explicitly designed for the physical, political and economic realities of developing areas. TIER’s work
builds on existing research at Berkeley and elsewhere, but also faces a number of new technical and
organizational challenges. Our projects address these challenges with novel technology, while validating
the impact through real-world deployments. We also aim to provide set of guidelines and techniques
that can be then used by corporations or the government to enable solutions that are currently
intractable. Sample current relevant projects include:
c. Healthcare: Low-cost WiFi networks for local broadband telemedicine; mobile phones as a
platform for health-related applications; and remote medical consultation
d. Education: Mobile applications for language/literacy and sharing of educational content. The
inclusion of additional faculty not currently affiliated with TIER presents opportunities to
develop online education and e-government capabilities on low-cost WiFi networks.
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