Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of India, formally inaugurated Sun Pharma Advanced Research Centre (SPARC) at Thandalja near Vadodara. The new facility, which is dedicated to new drug discovery and drug innovation and development process, is one of the largest private sector pharma research centers in the country.

Covering 2,00,000 sq. ft in a 16 acre plot, the Centre has multiple laboratories in each area of research and analysis with an animal house with a capacity of 19,000 live stock.

SPARC, which currently accommodates a research team of 325 scientists, would soon add another 150 to the total strength catering to the areas of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, screening, and the biotech segments like tissue culture and cloning. With an extensive reference library and manufacturing suits along with the international standard animal testing facility, the center can handle the complete process from lead identification to pilot production.