Basel, May 19, 2005 - Internationally renowned speakers from a wide range of life science related career fields spoke today at the Career Guidance Conference in Life Sciences hosted by Novartis at its Basel headquarters. The first event of its kind to be held in Basel, the conference greatly benefited students and the academic community in the region.
Organized by students and post-doctoral fellows of the Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) in partnership with their colleagues at Basel University's Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences (DKBW) and Biozentrum, the conference was designed as an information exchange session where leaders from different industries highlight opportunities in their fields, enabling advanced degree holders in life sciences to make more informed decisions about the next steps in their own careers.
Mark Fishman, President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research opened the conference with a focus on pharmaceutical research. Best-selling author Frans Johansson in his keynote address called on the students to develop an innovative mind set that is critical not only for the personal achievements but also for the economic viability of businesses and nations. Leaders from various career fields asked the students and young scientists to aspire, advance and achieve in their career paths. Among the key participants were Paul Herrling, Head of Novartis Corporate Research; Markus Weissbach, Chief Operating Officer of Hesperion; Annette Thomas, Managing Director of Nature Publishing Group; Claudia Süssmuth-Dyckerhoff, Managing Partner of McKinsey; Markus Hosang, Managing Partner of BioMedinvest; Susan Gasser, Director, FMI; Georg Hollander, DKBW; Karl Heinz Koch, Senior Analyst at Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie; and Andrew Sheard, leading European patent attorney.
The strong attendance at the conference reflects a long-standing need for the students of science to receive active career guidance. The conference also sparked interest in regions outside of Basel with students from Zurich, Bern, Fribourg and as far as Heidelberg vying for participation. Novartis supported the event by providing key speakers as well as facilities and infrastructure for the conference.
For more information
For the further information, please go to the event website: www.cgc2005.com
Related websites:
- Novartis: www.novartis.com
- FMI: www.fmi.ch www.fmi.ch/student
- Biozentrum: www.biozentrum.unibas.ch
About Novartis
Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health. In 2004, the Group's businesses achieved sales of USD 28.2 billion and pro forma net income of USD 5.6 billion. The Group invested approximately USD 4.2 billion in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ about 81,400 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For further information please consult http://www.novartis.com.
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Contacts
Satoshi Sugimoto
Novartis Global Media Relations
Tel +41 61 324 6129
or +41 61 324 2200
Doris Wissler Horn
Novartis Global Media Relations
Tel +41 61 324 6129
or +41 61 324 2200
