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Bengaluru showcases biotech of the future

Our Bureau, BengaluruThursday, February 6, 2014, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]

Indian biotech industry is poised to make big contributions to the world markets. The country has already emerged and established as competitive base for biotech drugs, biosimilars and bio-medical devices. The capability of biotech companies in contract research have made the country a premium destination for investments. The strategic collaborations of global players have created a competitive edge for the sector.

Karnataka has taken the lead in the biotech sector having the highest number of biotech industries. In order to drive growth and exposure of the biotech industry in the state , the Vision Group on Biotechnology unveiled a flagship event Bangalore India Bio in 2001 and the event has emerged as the biggest congregation of biotech brains from India and the global community. Over the years, the three-day event has generated tremendous   interest and response both from participants and visitors.

The Karnataka Government's Department of Information Technology, Bio-Technology and Science & Technology, Vision Group on Biotechnology and MM Activ

Sci-Tech Communications will be organizing the 14th edition of

Bangalore INDIA BIO from February10 to 12 at The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru. The theme of the event is Biotech for a Better Tomorrow.

The event will be inaugurated on February 10 by the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah in the presence of Professor Sir John Gurdon, Nobel Laureate for the year 2012 in Physiology or Medicine. Emeritus Prof. Dr. Marc Van Montagu, who is the winner of 2013 World Food prize will also be present.

Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology; Planning and Statistics, Government of Karnataka,

S.R. Patil , Ian Felton - Deputy High Commissioner, UK, Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan - Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw - Chairperson, Karnataka´s Vision Group on Biotechnology and CMD, Biocon Ltd., Kaushik Mukherjee, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka and Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary to Government, Department of IT, BT and S&T and DPAR (e-Governance) Government of Karnataka will also be present.

The 14th edition of Bangalore INDIA BIO will feature conferences, business meetings and an international exhibition that focuses on the core theme where global trends and innovative solutions in the biotech sector will be deliberated along with agri-biotech and stem cell regeneration ad biosimilars. There is also a dedicated event on bio IT covering large data informatics for next generation healthcare, agriculture and life sciences research. The conference track also covers bio services. Topics like how to help India gain the lost ground in clinical trials , investment and entrepreneurial finance for bio business along with Intellectual Property strategy will be discussed.

Besides the multi-track conferences, international trade show, distinguished lectures and talks, Bangalore INDIA BIO 2014 will also feature B2B meetings, CEO Conclave, presentation of the Bio Excellence Awards, finals of the BioQuiz, business delegation meetings & other networking events.

Giving an international flavour to the event is a strong international participation from nearly 20 countries with large delegations from Scotland, UK, EU, Neurosciences Victoria, Atlanta-Georgia, Korea and Malaysia. A session on research, innovation and higher education cooperation and opportunities between India and the European Union with a special focus on developing strategic relationships between India and Melbourne in the area of neuroscience will also be conducted.

Further, the Emory Vaccine Center will be holding a session on exploring further Indo-US as well as global partnerships for vaccine research. The UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) will have a session on collaborative opportunities with India, amongst other topics.

The international conference will deliberate on issues of pressing interest for the biotech sector. It would cover a gamut of topics including personalized medicine, biomedical devices and digital health, bioinformatics for drug discovery & development, key Issues in clinical trials development and Agri Biotech & Secondary Agriculture – Needs of the Nation.

One of the highlights of the conference will be Agri- Biotech day which will be inaugurated by Karnataka Minister for Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda, where the state’s Principal Secretary, Department Agriculture, Bharat Lal Meena, will also be present. The key note address for this session will be delivered by Prof. Dr. Marc Van Montagu. This will be held on the February 11, 2014.

The conference will feature 25 sessions, addressed by experts from the biotech fraternity. These include Razwin Sulairee Hasnan Termizi, Chief Operating Officer, Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (Biotech Corp), Malaysia, Dr. Yang Woo Kim, Chief of International Export & Trade Promotion Center, Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), Korea, Dr. Andrew Milner, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Neurosciences Victoria, Australia, Dr. P.M. Murali,

President, ABLE India; Managing Director, Evolva Biotech, Professor Graham Jenkin, Deputy Director, The Ritchie Centre for Translational Research, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Dr. Murali-Krishna Kaja, Associate Director, ICGEB-Emory Vaccine Center, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Shridhar Narayanan, Vice President and Head, Infection science, AstraZeneca, Bangalore, Dr. Krishna M. Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech, Dr. K. K. Narayanan, Managing Director, Metahelix Life Sciences Ltd, Mr. Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman, Praj Industries, Dr. Mahendra Rao, Director, NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine, Maryland, Dr. Usha Barwale Zehr, Chief Technology Officer (Whole time Director) Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Ltd, India, Dr. Renu Swarup, Advisor, Ministry of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India; Managing Director, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Dr. Shoibal Mukherjee, Vice President & Head, Asia Medical Sciences Group, Quintiles Research Private Ltd and Dr. Mallikarjun Sundaram, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mitra Biotech Private Ltd.

A key panel discussion ‘Fireside Chat’ has been included which will focus on the increasing role of technology in healthcare. It will have Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Karnataka Vision, Group on Biotechnology; Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon Ltd, Dr. B.S. Ajaikumar, Chairman & CEO, HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Healthcare, Karnataka Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology Srivatsa Krishna.

Another highlight of the event is the Round Table discussion on ‘Harmonization of Global Regulatory Framework with special focus on Asia Pacific”, which is scheduled with regulators from the key countries such as Malaysia, UK, Korea, Australia and India.

The first day of the event on February 10 will conclude with the CEO Conclave , an exclusive gathering of company chiefs , R&D Heads, policy - makers, venture capitalists and investment bankers. The highlight of the CEO conclave will be the panel discussion on ‘Scaling up biotech companies to handle the changing business environment.’

As an annual affair, the biotech event goes on to recognize the efforts of bio-entrepreneurs. During the Bio Excellence Awards ceremony, the state government and the Vision Group on Biotechnology will recognize the contribution of start-ups & early stage biotech companies. Further, representatives from the biotechnology industry will be also honoured for their outstanding achievements. There will also be exhibitor award for best deigned & informative stalls. In addition, poster presentation awards will also be presented during the event.

The trade-show will see participation from about 100 companies from various verticals of life sciences industry like biopharmaceuticals, bio-suppliers, bio-informatics and bio-medical devices.

This year’s event will feature InterlinX, a popular bio-partnering tool that enables companies seeking collaborations to conduct one-to-one meetings with potential collaborators and business partners.

The poster session will have around 60 posters which provides an ideal platform for young researchers and scientists from industry, research institutions and academia to present innovative ideas, outstanding research or path-breaking study in the field of biotechnology.

 The event will hold the finals of the BioQuiz, India's largest state level quiz on biotechnology. The BioQuiz is organized by the Department of IT, BT and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka with the objective of creating awareness among students , the immense potential the Indian biotech sector holds.

 
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