Novartis Pharma has become a supporting member of Berkeley’s Center for New Directions in Organic Synthesis (CNDOS), donating $500,000 over 3 years, according to its director, chemistry professor Paul Bartlett.

One of five Centers of Excellence within the college, CNDOS provides opportunities for graduate students to gain an insider view of industrial research, with a graduate course featuring speakers from industry and summer internships at participating corporations. By joining CNDOS, corporate members have an edge in recruiting some of the top up-and-coming organic chemists.

“This generous grant will advance both graduate education and research, which are inseparable in Berkeley’s top-ranked chemistry department,” said Clayton H. Heathcock, dean of the college and one of the center’s organizers.

CNDOS has two foci in which students and members can participate: a bioorganic component, which is relevant to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries that develop new drugs, and an organic materials/organometallic component, which is relevant to polymer, electronics, and specialty chemical industries that depend on the development of new materials.

Berlex Biosciences and Cellegy Pharmaceuticals have joined CNDOS as annual members, bringing total membership to ten companies, with Bristol-Myers Squibb as a sponsoring member. The funds contributed to CNDOS are used to modernize laboratories and to support ongoing research.