Biotech firms of European Union are exploring possibilities to strike alliances with potential companies in India. The European firms are convinced that collaborations with India would strengthen existing mechanism in R&D and make drug development processes more efficient.

This is why the European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) was here in India to set up a platform for the exchange of information and enhance the mutual understanding of regulatory frameworks.

European countries are keen to collaborate with Indian biotech companies. "We would want to work with India because biotech companies here are of complementary skills. We are interested to either collaborate or even provide services", said Poul V Jensen, director, European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC).

There is need for innovative technologies and automation which could make Indian biotech more competitive and this is where companies in Europe could chip in the expertise, he added.

"Our expertise in next generation sequencing and India's interpretation of data in bioinformatics need to be teamed-up. This is where we are on the look out for partnerships with bioinformatics companies with an ideal fit in terms of a delivery model", said Amanda McMurray, business development director, Genome Analysis Centre.

India is a recognized producer of large volumes and high quality vaccines. There is a huge scope for transfer of innovative technologies in the area of impurity clearance in manufacturing processes and analytical techniques in research. Vaccine formulators need to ensure long-term stability of the product. In such cases, technologies like dynamic light scattering system help better than conventional methods and this is where EU biotech are looking for a prospective partner, said "Stuart Wakefield, regional manager Malvern Instruments Ltd, UK.

"Since standardization is a key process for comparing results across the several batches of production which would in turn help to increase the manufacturing efficiency and makes R&D highly effective, we have much to contribute to Indian biotechnology", said Dr Carola Schade, associate business director, Automation, Qiagen, Germany.

The use of smart resins in the purification process will provide an edge over the current processes. Better analytical technologies would also help Indian biotech companies to meet regulatory guidelines, said Dr. Matthias Joehnck, associate sirector, Performance & Life Science, R&D, Merck, Germany

According to Dr. Bernward Garthoff, Biotechnology Representative, Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, there is need to understand the value chain, which provides an idea of the risks involved, primarily with respect cash flow. Therefore the importance of identifying possible risks in the partnerships need to be taken while looking for a potential partner.

The prospects for India-EU collaboration in many new and emerging high-tech areas are huge. India is a priority country for collaboration under the international dimension of the EU's Sixth Framework Research Programme (FP6) and for participating in the preparation of FP7 to foster European and Indian joint research initiatives to solve growing healthcare issues including genomics and nanotechnology diagnostics, added European Business and Technology Centre officials.