A customary activity/program of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) is to fund an Undergraduate Thesis in Natural Products.
The said program aims to sustain a research culture in natural products to increase the number of research and later on build a pool of researchers/experts specializing in the field. It also supports the Tuklas Lunas program (Drug Discovery and Development Program) of the DOST-PCHRD which aims to develop safe, effective, and affordable alternative drugs from the country's natural resources.
In lieu with their mandate, a call for thesis submission was conducted last March 2023. The activity was open to all undergraduate students of Colleges of Pharmacy, Chemistry, Nursing, and Health and Allied Sciences who have thesis proposals on natural products, specifically utilizing indigenous plants in the region. A thesis grant amounting to fifty thousand pesos (50,000.00) was offered to qualified thesis proposals in the region.
This year, two (2) of the submitted proposals in Region 1 were qualified for funding as follows:
| Title | Authors | Institution |
| Anti-Angiogenic Property of Synsepalum dulcificum (Miracle Berry) 8 Ethanolic Leaf Extract using In-Ovo Duck Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM Assay) | Ms. Merlie Joy H. Aguila et. al | University of Northern Philippines (UNP), Vigan City Ilocos Sur |
| Potential Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Volvariella volvacea Soap: A Promising Defense Against Bacterial Infection | Ms. Aljih Dalle Mayo et. al | Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU), Daupan City Pangasinan |
Upon completion, of the thesis project and submission of the required deliverables, the completed research papers have the chance to present/compete during the 17th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week celebration in August 2024, wherein the top three (3) winners will be selected. Cash prizes include Php 30,000.00 for the first prize winner, Php 20,000.00 for the second prize winner, and Php 15,000.00 for the third prize winner.
