With a view to provide an international work exposure and hands-on experience on the multifaceted world of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Novartis India recently organised a three day seminar cum camp called Novartis Biotechnology leadership camp (BioCamp) in Hyderabad from July 30 to August 1. the company through this initiative offered 49 students drawn from 130 leading Indian universities hands-on experience on latest pharmaceuticals and biotechnology know how.

BioCamp is a pioneering seminar organised by Novartis that brings young, talented students from diverse faculties and different universities closer to the field. During the event the students go through a rigorous judging process before they are selected to participate in the country BioCamps.

Out of all the students three winning students were given a chance to participate in the International Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp taking place at the Novartis Campus in Basel, Switzerland from August 26 to 29, 2012. Hyderabad based Esha Kakkar, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Business, took top honours along with Dr Girish Naik of Christian Medical College, Vellore and Sagar Laygude of IIT - Madras, Chennai to get the chance to participate at the international event.

These three candidates were selected after an intense three-day program to represent India at the International BioCamp which is being held at the Novartis Campus in Basel. Topics covered during this three-day seminar included clinical drug development, entrepreneurship, branding and commercialisation, the role of intellectual property rights, ethics and career opportunities in the pharmaceutical world. As part of the program participants worked on a case study to address diabetes as a disease that impacts a large section of the Indian population.

Speaking on the occasion, Ranjit Shahani, vice chairman and managing director, Novartis India said, “Novartis appreciates the opportunity to play a role in bringing top talent closer to the pharma industry and to partner with academia. BioCamp provides  students on the threshold of their careers insights to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. It offers bright minds a platform to interact with leaders in the field and network with students coming from different faculties across the country.”

The Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) has been held annually in Asian countries since 2004, starting in Taiwan as a local event. It has since grown impressively in to a global event. Last year’s International BioCamp was held in Basel, Switzerland. Around 60 students from around the world are expected to participate in the global BioCamp being held at the Novartis Campus in Basel, Switzerland from August 26 to 29, 2012.