Bangalore Bio 2003, the largest biotechnology show of the country and Bangalore''s annual biotechnology event, will focus on BT education this year with the release of a comprehensive brochure on the state''s educational infrastructure for this fast emerging science. And through the Knowledge Pavilion, leading research and academic institutions would open up a wider avenue of teaching and career opportunities in this very promising techno-bio field.
"We have noticed that the capability boost through high quality education is the need of the hour as the industry here is getting readied for a major leap. Hence the stress on education,'''' says Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, head, Vision Group on biotechnology, government of Karnataka.
The brochure on Bio-Education in Karnataka, which is a first-of-its-kind audit, will be released at the event. An exhaustive compilation of academic institutes covering government, private colleges, recognized private institutes, the brochure has evaluated the quality of biotech educations.
The information is based on the data provided from the universities, deemed universities, medical colleges, degree colleges and research foundations. Further, it highlights the availability of resources and what needs to be done in the future, said Shaw. This exercise, Shaw hoped, will contribute to improving the quality of biotech education in Karnataka. "It is apparent that the focus in Karnataka''s biotech education has been more on quantity than on quality. There is a need to improve education standards, revamp the syllabus and train the faculty. The Vision Group on biotechnology in Karnataka believes that only if education is provided, will there be future for biotech,'''' said Shaw.
But going by the lukewarm response by the educational-research institutes at the Knowledge Pavilion in the Bangalore Bio 2003 where stalls were offered free of cost, Shaw said she is convinced that educational institutions are not loss making centres and that the problem is a lack of enthusiasm.
The Vision Group''s focus on education right from the first edition of the Bangalore Bio has seen the emergence of the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), which has encouraged companies to set-up base in Bangalore because of manpower availability.
IBAB is in a dialogue with universities in Karnataka where its successful candidates will take up teaching assignments at government colleges. However, Bangalore University has expressed its reluctance to the proposal following a ban on recruitment by the State government. Only dynamic visionaries and powerful crusaders can help education institutes to overcome such hurdles, she said.
But for education, the event this year could be a damp squib due to the Gulf War and the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak. Nevertheless, it will enable successful discussions among companies for business partnerships, added Shaw.
With the first Bangalore Bio in 2001, Karnataka has seen companies coming to the fore. There were start-ups that have now been taking proper shape with activities in environment, agriculture and health care.
The second Bangalore Bio in 2002 saw Saint Life (pharma-biotech R&D) and Institute of Bioinformatics set up operations here. The US-based Q DOT which is an array technology company is shifting its base to Bangalore in May 2003 to assemble an entire range of array kits from here for the US markets. ``If the company is successful, it can become a research tool for Indian companies for drug targets," said Shaw.
The threat to Bangalore Bio 2003 is only due to external factors and the event, over the years has been popular and this is evident of Bangalore''s emergence as an important destination for the business of biotechnology. The show is the one preferred event for biotechnology companies in India because it has provided the much-needed exposure to innovative products and technologies and evolved partnerships between the companies participating in the event. The presence of several biotechnology firms in Bangalore like Biocon India Group, Bangalore Genei, Bhat Biotech, Avestha Gengraine Technologies, XCyton, Metahelix and Strand Genomics has convinced them that Bangalore is the destination for biotechnology. There is a heterogeneous mix in their area of work, Shaw said.
Events like Bangalore Bio will enhance international exposure for Indian firms and will help provide concrete businesses ventures, she added. The companies need to produce something different and not just routine products. Biotech companies in India are yet to take up work on discovery and research based platforms. For instance, Biocon is looking at insulin so are other companies, but its stands apart because the focus is on oral insulin. There are several potential openings in Bioinformatics. Biocon''s collaboration with Strand Genomics has already led to the discovery of a couple of predictive tools for its diabetes project that can lend itself to other disease segments and is currently awai-ting patent clearance.