Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh has a dominant position in the bulk drug and pharmaceutical industry with roughly one third of the country's bulk drugs produced in and around Hyderabad. With its rich bio-resources, the state Government has decided to facilitate the development and has announced several concessions for industry in this sector through the State Biotechnology Policy 2001.

In pursuance of the above policy, the Shapoorji Pallonji biotech Park is being set up in the serene surrounding of the genome Valley, which covers an area of 600 Sq. Kms., to provide high quality infrastructure for the Biotech industry. The first phase of the Biotech park covers an area of approximate 142 acres and an additional 290 acres would be developed in the next phase.

The park is being developed by the Shapiro Palling Construction limited, a name at the fore front of the country's construction and infrastructure industry; a company that is proud of its past and also has its eye firmly set on the future

Having completed phase-I and phase-II successfully, ICICI Knowledge Park at Turkapally, near Hyderabad, is all set to launch phase-III. The state government will release Rs 5 crore and the work will start by October/ November. The state government's commitment came from Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu during his talks with N Vaghul, Chairman, ICICI Knowledge Park, R A Mashelkar, Director-General of CSIR, and Ahsok S Ganguly, Director-General of ICMR, both Directors of the Park's Board.

Maharashtra

Following its biotech policy, Maharashtra government decided to set up a pharma biotech park at Hinjewadi in Pune with 136-acre area and an Agro biotech park at Jalna with 100-acre area. The Hinjewadi Park is set adjacent to the IT Park - a key input for a knowledge industry. In May 2003, a joint venture was between MIDC & The Chatterjee Group (TCG) to develop, promote and market the International Hinjewadi Biotech Park, in Pune. TCG proposed a "Dumbbell-strategy" for the Park where there would be two anchor facilities at either end of the Park. These facilities would be the Core Shared Facility and Medico Clinical Research Facility.

Gujarat

The Gujarat State Board of Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) is promoting a Pharmaceutical Techno Park at Changodar near Ahmedabad. The Techno Park, which is in a 300 lakh sq. meter area, can accommodate 40 formulation and pharma related units except bulk drugs with latest technology facilities. Each plot will be of 5000 sq yards. The IDMA GSB is currently negotiating with the private land-owners to acquire the required land at the industrial area of Changodar as the state government could not provide the land near the proposed Science City in Ahmedabad as it was decided earlier.

Karnataka

The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr S.M. Krishna several months back unveiled foundation stone for the proposed park "Bangalore Helix". Banga-lore Helix is expected to come up on a 75-acre campus next to the Electronics City on the Bangalore-Chennai national highway.

The State IT Department is also planning to shift the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology to the new park which would have a common testing facility to be set up at a cost of Rs 50 crore, said Mr Vivek Kulkarni, Secretary IT and BT, Government of Karnataka.

Kerala

The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA), the state Government agency responsible for developing industry specific parks, is setting up two mega biotechnology parks in the state, at Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

While the Kerala Biotechnology Park will come up at Kalamassery near Kochi on a 50-acre plot, the park at Thiruvananthapuram will be a 25-acre facility housed within the premises of the KINFRA Apparel Park coming up near Thumba.

Tamil Nadu

The Tidco Centre for Life Sciences (TICEL Bio Park), the first of its kind project in the country, promoted by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corpo-ration (TIDCO) in collaboration and technical assistance from the Cornell University, US, will be commissioned by early next year.

This was announced by State Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa at seminar on 'Emerging Opportunities -Tamil Nadu, in Chennai, recently. According to various sources, the TICEL Bio Park, coming up at the information technology corridor at Taramani in the suburbs of Chennai at an investment of over Rs.62 crore on a 1.20 lakh sq.ft. area, was scheduled for commissioning by August this year, as per the initial plan.

Mahindra Industrial Park, promoted by the Mahindra Group and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), is located within a larger entity of 1400 acres business city, Mahindra City, compares with the best business parks in the world. Mahindra City, which is India's first business city has been masterminded by Ascendas and landscaped by Belt Collins of Singapore from concept to strategy implementation. The park is a blend of industry and lifestyle.

Uttar Pradesh

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has embarked on a novel initiative to promote the growth of biotech industry in the country. The agency is in the process of working out the entire plan for a new biotech park in Lucknow and is to develop it as a model to be emulated by other states. What is unique in the DBT initiative is that, unlike the usual practice of governments' earmarking a patch of land to be developed as a biotech park and then going about marketing the park, the agency has begun with assured presence of leading biotech companies and then gone for the identification of land.

Punjab

The nucleus of the biotech research in the region is The Institute for Microbial Technology (IMTECH), which was set up in Chandigarh in 1984 to take up research in microbial bioprocessing and the Central Scientific and Industrial Organization (CSIO), which develops a number of biotech based diagnostic kits. The state is developing a biotechnology park in the suburbs of Chandigarh .

Rajasthan

Rajasthan is another state, which is concentrating on promoting the biotechnology industry. Rajasthan Industry Investment Corporation, Government of Rajasthan has initiated three biotech parks projects at BioTech Park at Sitapura-Jaipur, Biotech Park at Boranada, Jodhpur, Bio Tech Park at Bhiwadi (Alwar). Necessary common facilities such as incubators and R&D centers will be set up there for encouraging the private sector.