The DOST-PCHRD Undergraduate Thesis Grant in Natural Products provides fund support to all undergraduate students who will conduct their thesis on natural products. The program aims to sustain a research culture in natural products to increase the number of research and later on build a pool of researchers/experts specializing in the field. The program supports the Tuklas Lunas (Drug Discovery and Development) program of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) which aims to develop safe, effective, and affordable alternative drugs from the country’s natural resources.

Thesis grants will be given to two (2) undergraduate entries per region (subject to availability of funds). After completion of the project, a competition will be held for selected qualified students to recognize their innovative work on natural products.

Who can apply?

All undergraduate students of Pharmacy, Chemistry, Nursing, and Health and Allied Sciences who have thesis proposals on natural products may apply. The proposed thesis study must use plants indigenous in the region. The project must be completed a year after receiving the grant.

How to apply?

Applicants should submit the following documents to the Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (RHRDC):

1. Duly accomplished prescribed research proposal form with college seal
2. Endorsement letter from the institution signed by the head of the university and the college dean
3. Soft copy of the proposal (word format)
4. Hard copy of the proposal using A4 paper (3 copies)
5. Certificate of plant authentication
6. Appropriate clearances: 
   • Bureau of Animal Industry clearance for studies involving animal subjects
   • Biosafety Clearance for studies involving genetic engineering and pathogenic organisms
   • National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Clearance for studies involving Indigenous Peoples
   • Gratuitous Permit from Biodiversity Management Bureau for studies involving collection of flora and fauna from DENR Protected Areas
   • Ethical clearance for studies involving human subjects
7. Curriculum vitae of the students and adviser

Selection Criteria

The research proposals will be rated based on the following criteria:

1. Technical merit
       • Objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound
       • The study design supports the objectives
       • The study sample and methodology are appropriate
2.  Data management
       • The plan for data collection is clearly described
       • Quality control procedures for data collection are in place
       • Statistical analysis is well described
3.  Relevance/Significance
       • The study addresses an important health problem
       • The study contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge
4. Proponent/institution’s capacity
       • The investigators are qualified and appropriately trained to carry out the study
       • The proposed study is appropriate to the experience level of the investigators
       • The implementing/cooperating institution is capable of carrying out the proposed study

Thesis Grant 

• Two (2) thesis proposals will be selected in each region. Researchers will receive a grant amounting to a maximum of Fifty Thousand Pesos (P 50,000.00).
• The thesis grant will be deposited to the bank account of the thesis adviser and will be liquidated after the completion of the study
• A Memorandum of Agreement will be signed between the students, adviser, head of the institution, and DOST-PCHRD
• The grant must be expended as allocated in the approved line-item budget

Cash Award

Six (6) grantees will be selected as finalists to present their studies during the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) week celebration. The top three (3) presentors will receive the following prizes:

Finalists will receive a plaque of recognition.


Schedule of Activities

UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD)  as one of the 15 eminent scientists to draft the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) in a UN official announcement yesterday in New York City.

Produced once every four yers, the SDG report aims to employ the scientific perspective in guiding policymakers on the state of global sustainable development, and serve as a ‘strong evidence-based instrument’ in eradicating poverty. The said report will also feed the ‘high-level global review” of the 2030 Agenda at the United Nations in September 2030.

The designation of the independent group followed an extensive consultation process that involved nominations from UN member states which concluded in December 2019. The 15 scientists were selected by UN Sec-Gen Guterres to author the GSDR and conduct a follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for SDGs. 

“We are honored to be selected as part of the distinguished experts to author a very significant report on the global SDGs. Being a health research scientist in the Philippines, a developing country, enables us to contribute unique and substantial information that is relevant to sustainable development.  It is without a doubt that I assure our UN member states and our fellow Filipinos that our efforts will always be directed towards the benefit of all through science and technology,” said Dr. Montoya.

The “diverse group,” according to the UN, represents a wide range of disciplines and are composed of the following scientists: John Agard (Trinidad and Tobago), Kaltham Ali Al-Ghanim (Qatar), Sergey N. Bobylev (Russian Federation), Opha Pauline Dube, (Botswana), Ibrahima Hathie (Senegal), Norichika Kanie (Japan), Nyovani Janet Madise (Malawi), Shirin Malekpour (Australia), J. Jaime Miranda (Peru), Jaime C Montoya (Philippines), Jiahua Pan (China), Åsa Persson (Sweden), Ambuj D Sagar (India), Imme Scholz (Germany), Nancy Shackell (Canada).

Led by Dr. Agard and Dr. Scholz, the independent group will author the second report of its kind. The first GSDR has been released in September of 2019 entitled “The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development.”

Filipino experiments revealed evidence that virgin coconut oil may be a means to defeat COVID-19.

“There are still alternative solutions against COVID-19 aside from vaccines. Although further investigation is needed before we develop a possible prevention or treatment option, we aim to give Filipinos hope through our ongoing local research initiatives,” said Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña.

After six months of experiments, results showed that compounds from coconut oil and virgin coconut oil, or VCO, a readily available commodity in the Philippines, decreased coronavirus count by 60-90% at low viral load.

Researchers also discovered that said compounds were observed to improve cell survival. More experiments, however, are needed to determine whether higher concentrations of these compounds will further reduce the replication rate of the virus.

"The results are very promising, as not only does it show that the VCO, by itself, can destroy the virus, but it also has a key mechanism in upregulating the immune response against COVID-19. Indeed, we look forward to the results of clinical trials on the various uses of VCO as an adjunct for the treatment of COVID-19," said Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).

Funded by the DOST-PCHRD, the research led by Dr. Fabian Dayrit of Ateneo De Manila University sought to investigate if coconut oil compounds are effective antiviral agents to prevent or reduce COVID-19 infection, following reports of previous research that VCO compounds are effective at killing other viruses.

With the lack of available vaccine for COVID-19, DOST seeks to intensify the thrust for alternative solutions to the increasing cases of COVID-19 by all means supporting Filipino research and innovations. Currently, the DOST, together with the Food and Nutrition Research Institute and the University of the Philippines - Manila, is already exploring the capability of VCO to upregulate the immune system. Results from these ongoing VCO Clinical trials will determine whether VCO can be used as adjunct therapy for COVID-19 patients.

Aside from facilitating the eventual conduct of the WHO vaccine clinical trials in the Philippines, the DOST-PCHRD is also supporting projects under its initiatives on Repurposing of Existing Drugs, Supplements and other Formulations, and Clinical Trials of Candidate Drugs to find viable treatment options against COVID-19.