In a first of its kind effort to increase knowledge quotient in the life sciences domain, Lotus Clinical Research Academy Pvt Ltd.(LCRA) is organizing BioQuizitive 2010 which is a national life sciences quiz competition for the industry’s working professionals.

The BioQuizitive will cover the entire gamut of life sciences sector which includes pharma, biotech, healthcare, medical devices, clinical research among others. The event will be moderated by Prakash Rao of the Bangalore Quiz Club.

The quizzing programme will be spread over 22 days and will be held in four cities which are known to have a large representation of the life sciences industry and the key hubs of research, development, production and healthcare services in western and southern India at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The first leg of the event will take off in Mumbai on September 4, 2010 at the RD National College Auditorium. After which it will be conducted at Ahmedabad on September 5 at AMA Hall and Hyderabad on September 18 at the Golconda Hotel. The finals of the event will be held in Bangalore on September 25, 2010 at the St. John’s Medical College Auditorium. There will be 50 teams in each city and two participants from a company.

The maiden event is supported by Oracle Health Sciences (Title Sponsors), Norwich Clinical Services ( Hub sponsors), Quintiles (Prize sponsors) and Lotus Labs (Silver sponsors).

The industry response has been overwhelming. The objective is to create a platform for bringing together talent and acumen from the life sciences space which is a knowledge industry, stated Sudhir Pai, managing director, Lotus Clinical Research Academy. “BioQuizitive is an extension of the Academy’s efforts to enhance the working professional’s knowledge, awareness and opportunities for growth. It will offer a platform for talented participants from executive to managerial cadre,” he added.

The first edition of the event is definitely expected to ensure increased participation in the future. For LCRA, BioQuizitive 2010 will be an annual event. The organizers are also looking to add value to the quiz competition which displays the participants broad-based knowledge on multiple aspects of the life sciences space and test his recall power and ability to instantly respond to the questions. This year’s event will have a total prize worth Rs. 7 lakh with the national winning team to receive a cash reward of Rs. 2 lakh, regional winners to get Rs. 70,000 and runners-ups will bag Rs. 30,000. There is also an audience prize worth Rs. 25,000 to be won at every location. There are also prizes including lap tops and digital cameras to be won. Plans are underway to provide scholarships to the achievers and keep the momentum going, stated organizers.

BioQuizitive will facilitate enhancement of knowledge of working professionals which is key for overall development in a competitive life sciences environment, stated Dr. Sala Thangam, managing director, Norwich Clinical Services.