October 27, 2022

HigherHeight Indonesia: Elevating medical biotechnology research

Three Indonesian biotech lecturers, participating in the capacity-building program HigherHeight - Pfizer Biotech Fellowship 2022, pose for a photo during a visit to Pfizer's manufacturing facility in Puurs-Sint-Amands, Belgium, on April 27. (Courtesy of Pfizer Indonesia)

HighHeight Indonesia, a national-scale biotechnology program initiated by Pfizer Indonesia, aims to strengthen the capacity and quality of human resources in the field. The program especially targets lecturers, researchers and students of medical biotechnology.

HigherHeight had its grand launch in 2021 with the debut year's general theme being strengthening human resources in medical biotechnology. That year's program included a writing competition for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in medical biotechnology in addition to an online training program for the participating students, as well as lecturers in the field. Over 100 undergraduate and graduate students took part in the 2021 HigherHeight Competition, where they showed their best ideas in essay writing and research proposals. Meanwhile, the online training program saw the appearance of national and global medical biotechnology experts.

The following year, the 2022 HigherHeight program was conducted virtually against the backdrop of the Indonesian government's focus to develop its biotechnology sector as a part of its national health system transformation. The program welcomed a roster of 29 biotechnology lecturers from 16 universities across the country.

Implemented as a training of trainers program, the 2022 HigherHeight program consisted of a series of virtual capacity-building sessions with global medical biotechnology experts, during which the lecturers received the opportunity to obtain training on the development of medical biotechnology and biotechnology research practices on a global level. At the end of the program, three lecturers were selected to visit Pfizer's factory in Belgium to learn first-hand about the global supply chain practices. The global medical biotechnology experts present came from Pfizer and reputable institutions, including the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard (MRCT Center) and the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School.

In 2023, under the HigherHeight program, Pfizer Indonesia sent three biotechnology lecturers and researchers from Indonesia to visit a Pfizer manufacturing facility in Puurs-Sint-Amands, Belgium to enhance participants' medical biotechnology knowledge, as well as to give them insights into Pfizer's manufacturing practices and global supply chain.

As the program's official partner, Tenggara Strategics has been responsible for developing the content of the program, maintaining communication with the participants and experts, and maintaining the flow of the program.

Go to website:
https://higher-height.com/