The Newton Prize awarding ceremony was held on 12 February 2020 at Westminster, London. It recognised outstanding international research and innovation partnerships in China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Out of the four finalists from the Philippines, China, and Indonesia, Prof Philip Lewis of University College London and Prof Zhongxin Chen of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences won the Newton Prize Chair’s Award for their collaboration research on Regional Crop Monitoring and Assessment. The research advocates better ways to monitor crops for global food security.
Our DOST-Newton PhD scholar Jopeth Ramis was the only finalist from the Philippines for the Chair’s Award. His research on Tissue Engineering of Bronchi and Health and Sickness was part of his PhD studies at the University of Nottingham which he’s set to complete this year. Jopeth and his team aim to develop a clinically relevant human tissue model of airway physiology and a platform for testing new drugs to treat asthma. He is set to return to his home institution, Technological Institute of the Philippines-Manila once he completes his PhD studies.
In his ministerial keynote during the awarding, Science Minister Hon Chris Skidmore of the AUK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) talked about expanding international partnerships focusing on investing in people and new research collaborations.