The Government of India in cooperation with the Swiss administration is planning a major biotechnology promotion event in Switzerland. A conference cum workshop, which will be held in October at Lausanne, would project the capabilities of Indian biotech companies in Switzerland and among the other European Union (EU) nations.

According to Jacques Derron, Counselor (Economic and Commercial Affairs) of the Swiss Embassy in New Delhi, the workshop is a part of the bilateral trade agreements between the two countries, signed during the Swiss president Pascal Couchepin's visit to India during last November, on intensifying cooperation in the field of life sciences and technology.

The event is expected to highlight India's capabilities in the biotech sector on manufacturing quality products at competitive rates. Except for Novartis and Roche, which have some biotech projects in India, at present most of the Swiss companies look forward to the United States for business partnerships and contract manufacturing and research work. With the mature markets limiting the scope of investment in developed countries, investors in Swiss and other EU countries are looking forward to developing markets like India.

The Switzerland Government was in the process of analyzing the Indian initiatives on bilateral and regional trade agreements, especially those with Thailand and Singapore, to explore whether India could be an ideal destination for investment, said Jacques Derron while participating in a meeting organized by the Southern Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) in Chennai this week.