Scientist can be pushed to collaborate through strategically designed working areas in the laboratories, said Novartis head scientist.

“Think about reengineering the laboratory,” Dr. Frank Petersen, Head of Natural Products Unit of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Switzerland, advised during his dialogue with government and academic representatives on October 24, 2014.

The dialogue was conducted a day after Dr. Petersen visited some of the major laboratories at the University of the Philippines (UP) System.

Dr. Petersen said different teams of scientists rarely work together because the design of Philippine laboratories hinder them to work collaboratively. As a result, funds are not efficiently used because the scientists engage in the same research activities and invest on the same equipment.

Highlighting the importance of laboratories to foster communication and collaboration, Dr. Petersen shared that reduced working areas and unhindered office spaces have become the norm in Novartis laboratories worldwide.

He recommended the same practices to be adopted in the Philippines to allow Filipino scientists to discuss their projects, giving rise to new and innovative ideas. Smaller working areas also prevent redundancy of work since everyone will know what each one is doing. Sharing the same workplace lets scientist share the equipment, preventing multiple purchases. He added that it will allow the Philippine government save a lot in the maintenance of smaller facilities.

By implementing these advice, Dr. Petersen guaranteed that Philippines can optimize its research capacity. “After all, innovation is not feasible anymore when you sit alone in the office,” he said.