Association of Biotechnology Led Entrepreneurs (ABLE) sees the need for Karnataka government to set up an industrial biomolecular facility in the state. This according to the Association would be a key step towards Make in India strategy for industrial biotechnology where fermentation is accorded priority.
The idea is to have an industrial biomolecular facility particularly with a public-private participation. This could be designed as a one of a kind in Asia where activities from strain engineering to development, scale-up and down stream processing, can be accessed under one roof, said Dr. PM Murali, president, the Association of Biotechnology Led Entrepreneurs.
There are similar facilities in UK, France and Germany which cater to industries for carrying out research and scale up. “Now our preference is Karnataka because of a comprehensive ecosystem in place for industrial biotechnology. However, states like Gujarat can get into this task and attempt to come up with an state-of-the-art facility,” he added
The institute can leverage the diversity of the existing industrial biotech environment in India and also license out from other countries to build a critical mass. Out licensing can be the first revenue stream for this institute. Industries will then slowly gravitate here largely for strain engineering and then later for scale up. A good purification facility will be needed to develop robust and cost-effective downstream processing, noted the ABLE chief.
Despite Karnataka government’s efforts to boost the growth of biotech and early stage investments for the sector, ABLE considers this as a big project. Now the state cannot be expected to spend on its own. Since the applications are in the area of industrial biotechnology, agriculture, environment, health and wellness, fragrance and flavours etc, a number of ministries from the central government should chip in along with the commerce ministry, said Dr Murali.
“The project investment should be over a period of 2-3 years in stages and we should ensure that it is fully automated and modern. Industries should be consulted for their need and letter of intent from them should be in place before any investment is made. Also there should not be any time over run,'' he said.
Dr Murali who indicated the need for an industrial biomolecular facility at the Bangalore India Bio 2016, said that the enthusiasm for growth prospects was palpable. Every youngster is now dreaming big.
“We should simply facilitate the momentum. In Karnataka, the solid foundation for IT& BT together with the state leadership has to be complimented to relentlessly pursue the growth of biotechnology. The sector needs to grow from the current US$ 10-11 billion to US$ 100 billion before 2025. More than one state has to chip in into this growth story. If six states in India focus on growing the biotech sector particularly with agriculture as its thrust, we will certainly be looking at about US$ 30 -50 billion in the next 5 years. This will create an impetus for revenue generation,” said Dr Murali.