Bangalore India Bio showcases not just the scientific prowess of Karnataka in particular but India at large.

Bengaluru is witnessing a huge convergence of information technology (IT)and biotechnology. The city is home to large IT companies whose skilled workforce are engaged in developing bio-informatics solutions. The city is gaining stature and there is ample momentum and global credibility. Bengaluru’s biotech industry has created a research ethos, fostered an entrepreneurial ecosystem, and incentivized business differentiation, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon Ltd and the Chairperson of Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology tells Nandita Vijay. Excerpts:

The Bangalore India Bio 2014 is in its 14th edition. What according to you are the key success factors of this three-day exposition?

The Bangalore India Bio 2014 is now gaining creditability and positive response not just from Indian companies but global researchers. For instance, in this year’s event, we will have the presence of two global experts. One is Sir John Bertrand Gurdon, Nobel Laureate, Distinguished Group Leader in the Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute in Cambridge. In 2012 Gurdon was awarded, jointly with Shinya Yamanaka, the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the discovery that mature cells can be converted to stem cells.

The other is Marc Van Montagu of Belgium, who along with Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert T. Fraley of the United States shared the 2013 World Food Prize for their independent, individual breakthrough achievements in developing, and applying modern agricultural biotechnology. Their research is making it possible for farmers to grow crops with improved yields, resistance to insects and disease and the ability to tolerate extreme variations in climate. In fact, Dr. Montagu is the Founder and Chairman of the Institute for Plant Biotechnology Outreach (IPBO), Ghent, Belgium. Therefore we see this as an important global platform for deliberations.

The event is seen almost clashing with the Bio Asia exposition which takes of in Hyderabad from February 17-19. Would there be a dilemma for the participants on opting between the two?

There would be no such confusion because both are events which the biotech industry representatives cannot afford to ignore. These two events have their own ‘DNA’ and showcase enormous prospects for the biotech business therefore participants at the Bangalore India Bio will definitely head for Hyderabad. There is no doubt that both Bengaluru and Hyderabad have created an eco system for themselves. Bengaluru in particular has an evolving bio-cluster and this cannot be ignored.

What do you have to say about Bengaluru which seems to be a place of action for bio pharma, bio services and bio IT?

Bengaluru is becoming an impressive biotech hub. We are seeing the mushrooming of techno-entrepreneurship in the city. There is a presence of varied capabilities from fermentation-based drug development, stem cells, to bioinformatics and bio-medical devices for diagnostics. The ability to create novel drugs and devices have proved their efforts in innovation and the city offers excellent opportunity to mould and sustain such new business ideas. The focus of these entrepreneurs has been to harness the potential new research outcomes only to come out with affordable drugs and devices. There is also a growing focus on the development of point-of-care technologies with an objective to speed up diagnostics and to ensure patients have faster access to therapies.

Now based on the strategy of the Vision Group of Biotechnology in Karnataka and particularly Bengaluru we have been able to set up the Biotech Park Helix which provides infrastructure for the biotechnology sector that enabled the promotion of research and development in the sector. Further, there is the IBAB which is the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology. This autonomous institute set up by the state department of IT, BT and S&T and located on 20-acre campus. These initiatives have facilitated the creation of a rich diversity in Bengaluru.

The city is home to the smart business models which are proving to be an interesting opportunity for partnerships and strategic collaborations with leading global companies. The biotech companies have attracted investors and angel funding institutions to support and nurture their capabilities and concepts. For instance, a company like Sea6 Energy which was awarded the company of the year at the Bangalore India Bio 2012 is engaged in the development of bio-fuels. CellWorks R&D Center is another example of drug development combing the expertise of bioinformatics.

There is also a huge convergence of IT and biotechnology. The city is home to large information technology companies whose skilled workforce are engaged in developing bio-informatics solutions. Further, we also see companies from here contributing immensely to translation research, in regenerative medicine. My Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Centre in the Narayana Health City has seen investments into different cancer research as doctors and scientists can have a better understanding to find faster cures. Therefore a lot has happened in Bengaluru and there is more coming up and the city will no doubt be the convergence of science and technology.

Bengaluru is the science capital, IT capital and biotech city. The success so far from companies in the city would soon lead to it transforming into a world class hub of research in science and technology. The city sports the scientific acumen and its established research centres are hubs for global solutions. Therefore, when annual events like Bangalore India Bio are conducted, it showcases not just the scientific prowess of Karnataka in particular but India too. Therefore, big things are happening in Bengaluru. The city is gaining stature and there is ample momentum and global credibility.