Press release March 30, 2006 Jorge Silva Puras, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) and Secretary of the Dept. of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC), invites industry to invest in this fellowship program to strengthen the scientific community in Puerto Rico. Jorge Silva Puras, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) and Secretary of the Dept. of Economic Development and Commerce, announced today that this public corporation will triple its contribution to the Scholarships Program , with the objective of increasing the participation of students granted a scholarship in the disciplines of biosciences and engineering. "By each dollar contributed by the industry, PRIDCO will contribute three to continue investing in our intellectual capital. We needed to extend our scientific community to direct our country by the route of knowledge and technological innovation. Therefore, it is essential that the industry assumes a leading roll in this effort ", expressed Silva Puras when explaining that this measurement is part of "Operation minds to the work”. Applications for the Scholarship Program for the 2006-2007 academic year are available, to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees, mostly in disciplines related to biosciences. “Promoting the industry of biosciences is one of the most important components of the new PRIDCO. Our objective is to promote and strengthen the economy of knowledge, where talent and intellectual capital are key for the growth the industry of biosciences, which includes pharmaceuticals, medical biotechnology and instruments, as well as telecommunications and computer science ", said Silva Puras. Silva Puras indicated that the scholarships for doctoral studies will be granted in the disciplines of biomedical and chemical engineering, biotechnology, biochemistry, industrial pharmacy, molecular biology, microbiology, analytical chemistry and chemical physics. For the masters’ degrees, the study fields are in computer sciences and engineering of packaging. Applications are available through the internet at www.pridco.com. Once completed, the application should be sent to the office of the Scholarship Program, located on the third floor of PRIDCO, in Hato Rey, before April 28, 2006. Applicants can call to (787) the 758-4747, extensions 2580, 2517 and 2505. The Scholarships Program has 61 students granted a scholarship for academic year 2005-2006, after a contribution of $200 thousand from PRIDCO, $50 thousand from the Office of Science and Technology and $90 thousand originating from contributions of companies like Abbott, Amgen, Checkpoint Systems, Glaxo Smithkline, Hewlett Packard, Lilly del Caribe, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, St. Jude Medical y Wyeth. "We want to invite the industry to collaborate this next year, since this program is directed to strengthen the operations of industries established in Puerto Rico, and strengthen our competitive advantages as main destiny of investment in the biosciences", emphasized Silva Puras. The Secretary of DDEC and Executive Director of PRIDCO emphasized that the scholarships comprise an ample governmental policy that looks to create an ample scientific community, that includes initiatives like the Trust of Science, Investigation and Technology and the new virtual community of Puerto Rican scientists organized by the Council for the Advance in Puerto Rico of the Investigation and Scientific Innovation (CAPRI), whose website is www.cienciapr.org.