National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Mohali, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Russian government. The MoU was signed by the Russian government on behalf of Volgograd State Medical University through which both the educational institute will be engaging in exchange of ideas and technological know how from the field of pharmaceuticals sciences.
This MoU was signed in early September this year between Professor K K Bhutani director NIPER Mohali and Russian delegates headed by Viktor Khristenko, minister of industry and trade of the Russian Federation.
Professor Bhutani informed, “We are really very happy and excited about this tie-up as it shows the level of interest NIPER had been able to create at the international level in the field of pharma research. Through this collaboration we will be able to share information and work together to do research related activities.”
Interaction between the two had been in process from early this year when Russia had send a special delegation to visit India in February 2011. The special team that visited NIPER was very impressed by the research activities being conducted at the NIPER centres which further lead to the tie-up between the two.
Professor Bhutani said that Russia had signed this MoU with NIPER to realise its pharma vision 2020 which is a government strategy aimed at developing an innovative Russian pharmaceuticals industry using foreign experience in research and production. The strategy calls for investment in the pharmaceutical sector over the next decade in areas of research and development, training and infrastructure development, and introducing good manufacturing practices at all Russian facilities.
“After visiting NIPERs they were really impressed by the working culture and the level of commitment that each individual had in doing research and innovation. This prompted them to take initiative to set up institutes in Russia in the line and principles of NIPER,” Professor Bhutani said.
He added that this collaboration will further strengthens the relation between India and Russia at the educational level along with raising the competitiveness of the industry by stimulating the production of innovative medicines.
NIPER is India's first national level institute in pharmaceutical sciences with a proclaimed objective of becoming a centre of excellence for advanced studies and research in pharmaceutical sciences. It is fast emerging as a beacon in the healthcare delivery scenario with major ongoing research being done in the areas of cancer, malaria, tuberculosis, fusion inhibitors of H1N1 virus, leishmaniasis, anti-HIV research etc.