The profound mutations which is  shifting  the tectonic plates of the global biotech industry is having its  echo in India. The maverick Indian corporate leaders, endowed with  entrepreneurial DNA, are fast  making indelible footprints on  the global biotech landscape.

Biotechnology in India is a highly technology-based industry, which at present accounts for  about two per cent share in the global biotech  industry. The industry ranks among the leading 12 biotech industries globally, and is the third largest in Asia, next to Japan and South Korea. Despite its low share in the global market, the Indian biotech industry has a remarkable potential for growth in the coming  years, given its skills, knowledge, cost-effectiveness and infrastructure facilities.

While in 2009-10, the Indian biotechnology industry had an impressive growth rate of 20 per cent with earnings to the tune of Rs. 14,199 crore ( US$ 3 billion),  in 2009-10 it  is all set to cross the $ 5 billion mark target set for fiscal 2010-11 and is estimated  to grow to $ eight billion  by 2016.

Though the Indian biotech industry was adversely affected by the global economic downturn, and there was a significant slowdown in the industry growth during the financial year 2008-09,  it  emerged stronger  in 2010. The industry is poised to witness another period of high growth, as drug developers worldwide are looking at  India as a low-cost destination for outsourcing their discovery and production work.

Biotechnology is touted as the next big thing for India on the global front, following a remarkable debut in the area of information technology. The area represents a fast-growing, knowledge-based sector in India, which plays an important role in the rapidly growing economy of the country.

Bio pharmaceuticals represents the largest sector in the Indian biotechnology industry according to a  new market research report on biotechnology In India. The bio pharmaceutical sector in India, which primarily comprises therapeutic drugs, vaccines, animal biologicals, insulin, diagnostics and statins, continue to account for the largest share in total revenues of the biotech industry in the country. Within the biopharma sector, vaccines including animal and human vaccines, account for the largest share. Owing to awareness about the disease prevention, education, government participation and higher disposable income, the vaccines market is expected to continue driving growth in the biopharma segment.

The Indian government, on its part, has been both proactive and supportive in driving innovation in the Indian biotechnology sector. Most of the support from the Indian government has been in the form of regulations, grants for fledging companies, and tax incentives among others.

The 11th edition of the annual  ‘Bangalore India Bio 2011’  organized by the .Karnataka’s  Department of Information Technology, Bio-Technology and Science & Technology,  Vision Group on Biotechnology and MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications  being held   from May 4 to  6 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumkur Road, Bangalore will give a further leg up for the unfolding biotech success story of India.

“The event has positioned India as one of the top destinations for biotech R&D, bio-services and market for end-products. The global biotech industry's response over the years is a proof of its popularity.  India is an important destination for the biotech industry worldwide. Bangalore India Bio plays a major role in business development for India in the global biotech arena and has entrenched itself as a hub for innovations and collaborations,” say  the organizers.

This year’s show would be a platform for the international biotech companies to connect with leaders in India’s life sciences industry, policy makers and regulators, they  add.

The theme of the  three-day event,touted  as one of the largest biotech events in Asia, is ‘biotech for improving the quality of life’ in the areas of biopharmaceuticals, clinical research, biomedical technology, bio business, bio collaborations and industrial biotechnology.  According to the organizers, the three day event with 21 sessions and 102 speakers has already attracted eight companies from Belgium, 30 from Europe, 12 from France and eight  from the US.

It was the last year, the Karnataka government rechristened the the annual Bangalore Bio event as Bangalore India Bio 2010. The name change is apt  going by the rapid growth of the sector in the last decade  on the  national as well as international levels.

The 11th edition will have an international exhibition, multi-track conference, BioPartnering India, CEO Conclave, Bio-IP Zone, poster session, BioQuiz and the Bio- Excellence Awards Function. Over 170 exhibitors, 1000 delegates and over 5000 business visitors from across the world and India are expected to participate in the event. Countries expected to participate are USA, Canada, UK, France, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea and  UAE.

The CEO conclave is an exclusive gathering of CEOs, R&D heads, policy-makers, venture capitalists and investment bankers. After the success of the Bio-IP Zone initiative last year, this year it will enable leading IP firms to come to address issues like licensing, valuation, patents, trademarks & copyright. Bio Excellence Awards, Exhibitor Awards and Poster Awards will be presented during the programme.  Poster Session – ‘Walkway of Discovery’ will provide an opportunity to present innovative ideas, which have the potential to make a significant impact in the field of biotechnology. A  state-level  BioQuiz, introduced last year attracted 128 students from 64 colleges across Karnataka and this year more participants are expected, said the organizers.

Bangalore India Bio (BIB) 2011 has evolved over the last 10 successful editions, adding new dimensions. The scale of the event has increased enormously with growing international participation and is now acknowledged as India's biggest and most sought after biotech event.

This year’s event has Assosication of Biotechnology Led Entrepreneurs as the Knowledge Partner and is supported by the Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services (KBITS). The Bio-Partnering India producer is TVG and the event partner is MM Active.

The multi-track conference focus areas are on frontier technologies. These will cover:

• Regenerative Medicine: The Emerging Landscape for Innovative Therapies & Services in India
• Systems Biology & Discovery Platforms - Leveraging cellular pathways and networks as enablers for discovery research
• Biopharmaceuticals
• Transformational technologies & innovations in Drug Discovery & Development
• Vaccines- New Developments & Effective Delivery Systems         
• Medical Diagnostics & Devices
• Bioprocess engineering - from Discovery to Commercialization
• Bio Collaborations and Services
• Clinical Trials & Contract Research - What will it take for India to maintain leadership position
• Bioinformatics & Next Generation Genomics: Generation, analysis and integration of data for personalized medicine
• Bio Business
• Human Resource Development: Challenges while Recruiting “industry ready” workforce
• Agri Biotech and Industrial Biotech
• Impact of Agribiotech on Food Security
• Enzymes and Biofuels – for sustainable development

The theme for  the CEO conclave is  “Is India's Biotech Leadership Ready for Establishing a Biotech Global Foot Print ?”

A round table on regulatory will be on  “Creation of a regulatory environment to foster innovation  in the Indian Biotechnology Industry”.

Some of the  leading exhibitors are Biocon, Biozeen, GSBTM, Beckman Coulter, European Business Technology Centre, Merck Millipore, UBI France, GE Healthcare Life Sciences and  Strand Genomics

Last year’s event had 366 delegates, 219 companies from 25 countries. Over 800 meetings were facilitated for not only start-ups but established pharma and biotech companies.