OVCRE-Supervised Units
The office supervises some of the most important RDE centers in the university. The OVCRE has an administrative control and supervision over these units:
National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) implements R&D for basic and applied researches on molecular biology and biotechnology addressing needs related to agriculture, forestry, environment, energy, and industry. BIOTECH is certified for quality management under ISO 9001:2015 while its Central Analytical Services Laboratory and Philippine National Collection of Microorganisms earned the ISO 17025:2005 certificates in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Museum of Natural History
The UPLB Museum of Natural History was established by UP BOR (877th meeting) on September 30, 1976. It has mandates as (1) a center of documentation as well as repository of biological specimens for scientific reference --this role parallels that of a library for written records; (2) a center of research; (3) a center of information on the basic aspects of biology, and a facility for training future naturalists; and (4) a center of education on the preservation of natural heritage as its activities will be related to man’s quest for knowledge and understanding of his relationship with the environment.
The Museum is composed of the following sub-units: Botanical Herbarium - 67,000 (including 6,500 flowering plant species, 1,000 ferns & fern allies, 3,600 mosses, and 260 hepatics & algae); Entomological Museum - 120,000 pinned insect specimens in 285 families and 22 orders + 5,000 slide-mounted insect specimens; + 75,000 slides of mites; Forestry Herbarium and Wood Collection - 11,325 specimens (representing 135 families, 645 genera, 1,106 species including 500 of yet undetermined new specimens, and 658 specimens of palms representing 18 genera and 103 species); Hortorium - 400 living species of food, medicinal, tonic, and ornamental plants; Microbial Culture Collection - 487 strains representing 189 bacteria, 135 yeasts and 163 mold collections; Mycological Herbarium - 11,000 specimens of ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, and myxomycetes; and Zoological and Wildlife Museum - 16,238 specimens including those which are on display.
UPLB Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts
The present thrust of the UP System to transform the constituent universities into major cultural centers in their respective regions has led the UPLB administration to create the UPLB Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA). Approved by the UP Board of Regents in its 1223rd meeting on August 22, 2007, the OICA aims to make the University a cultural center in the Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions.
The OICA systematizes UPLB’s art and culture programs and develops medium- and long-term plans for the campus. It also integrates and enhances the functions of the Southern Tagalog Studies Program (STSP) and the Bicol Studies Program (BSP). Aside from serving as UPLB’s policy-making body on developing and managing culture and arts, OICA coordinates cultural performances and artists’ exhibits, conserves and promotes Philippine historical and cultural heritage through scholarly study and documentation of traditions, arts, crafts, and other cultural resources. It also serves as the conduit for the exchange of creative works between UPLB staff and students and people in neighboring provinces.
UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory
In response to the lack of certified testing laboratories in the country that can detect the SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19, the university established its very own COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (CMDL).
CMDL is a biosafety level 2+ (BSL 2+) subnational laboratory that aims to increase the country's mass testing capacity in order to help flatten the curve of infections from COVID-19. It received its certification and license to operate as a molecular laboratory that can perform independent testing for COVID-19 by Realtime PCR on 27 June 2020. It is located at the former Immunology Laboratory Annex within the vicinity of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural and Life Sciences Complex in UPLB.
