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

Thesis grants amounting to a maximum of seventy-five thousand pesos (Php 75,000.00) will be given to up to four (4) qualified thesis proposals per region. After completion of the thesis projects and submission of the required deliverables, an oral research presentation competition will be held to recognize and disseminate information regarding their innovative work on natural products.

ELIGIBILITY

Proposal

• The proposed undergraduate thesis study must utilize natural products from terrestrial/marine plants and/or microorganisms indigenous to the Philippines, and must have human health applications. For indigenous/native plants in the Philippines, you may refer to this link to confirm if your proposed plants are eligible for this grant.
• Thesis project activities must commence by August 2026, and must be completed in May 2027. Ongoing projects are not eligible for this grant.

Student

• All undergraduate students* of Pharmacy, Chemistry, Nursing, and Health and Allied Sciences (including, but not limited to: Biology, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Medical Technology, Nutrition and Dietetics, etc) who have thesis proposals on natural products focused on human health are eligible to apply.

*3rd or 4th year students only; Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Dental Medicine students are not eligible for this grant.

**Students who will not finish their degree on time but are expected to complete their thesis within the contract period may still be considered, provided that their timeline aligns with the duration of the grant.

Thesis Adviser

• The thesis adviser must have a strong academic or professional background in natural products, preferably with expertise in related fields such as biochemistry, pharmacognosy, or medicinal chemistry.
• If the thesis adviser has previously mentored grantees under this program, they must have fulfilled all obligations with the DOST-PCHRD, including the timely submission of all required technical and financial reports. Any unresolved accountability issues with the DOST-PCHRD will disqualify the adviser from participating in the program.
• To ensure that each team or individual receives adequate supervision and mentorship, each thesis adviser is limited to overseeing a maximum of two (2) teams or individuals at any given time.

DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION

Applicants should submit their application via email to their respective Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (RHRDC). Applications submitted directly to the PCHRD Awards Secretariat will not be considered in the shortlisting process. The following documents are required for submission:

1. Duly accomplished prescribed research proposal form with college seal (word and PDF format)
   **E-signatures and college seals are not required in the Word file, the signed and sealed version may be submitted in PDF format
2. Proposed Line-Item Budget (LIB) with breakdown of expenses, duly signed by the applicants and thesis adviser
3. Endorsement letter from the institution duly signed by the head of the university and the college dean
4. Certificate of plant authentication issued by an herbarium or any recognized authority
5. Applicable clearance/s:

1. 1. Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) clearance for studies involving live animals such as rodents, small mammals, livestock or aquatic animals
   2. Biosafety Clearance from Institutional Biosafety Committee for studies involving hazardous chemicals or pathogens
   3. Biosafety Clearance from the DOST-National Biosafety Committee for studies involving genetic engineering or genetically modified organisms
   4. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Clearance for studies involving Indigenous Peoples
   5. Gratuitous Permit from Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for studies involving collection of flora and fauna from DENR Protected Areas
      **This permit is not required if the study sites are outside DENR-protected areas
   6. Ethical clearance from a PHREB-accredited Research Ethics Committee for studies involving human subject

6. Full curriculum vitae of each student member and adviser

Applications with incomplete documents will not be considered in the shortlisting process.

SHORTLISTING/SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA

1. Application documents will be screened and shortlisted by the secretariat of the Regional Health Research and Development Consortia (RHRDCs). Only those applications with complete documentary requirements will be considered in the shortlisting process. A maximum of four (4) eligible applications will be endorsed to DOST-PCHRD for technical evaluation.
2. Endorsed applications will be screened and evaluated by the PCHRD awards secretariat. Research proposals that passed the PCHRD in-house evaluation will then be endorsed to the Selection Committee for external technical evaluation.
3. The research proposals will be evaluated by the Selection Committee based on the following criteria:

1. 1. Relevance/Significance (20)
   2. Technical merit (50)
   3. Investigator’s capacity (20)
   4. Budget Appropriateness (10)

To qualify for the grant, the research proposal must have a rating of at least 75.

4. Up to four (4) qualified research proposals in the region will receive the grant amounting to a maximum of seventy-five thousand pesos (Php 75,000.00). Funding for other qualified regional research proposals is subject to fund availability and the approval of both the Selection Committee and PCHRD.

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

For inquiries/concerns, kindly contact the PCHRD Awards Secretariat at awards@pchrd.dost.gov.ph.