The Karnataka state, which is known for receiving hefty investments in the field of IT, has received around Rs 155 crore of investments in the biotechnology sector during the year 2007. A total of 54 new units have been set up in the state during the year, taking the total number in this sector to 224. The units are primarily in the bio-pharma space followed by the bioinformatics initiatives.

The industry is aware about the availability of the qualified technical resources and the success of the companies here. The investments are expected to take a three-fold increase once the Biotech Park 'Bangalore Helix' is set up, M N Vidyashankar, principal secretary to the Karnataka government's Department of information technology, biotechnology and science & technology, told Pharmabiz.

The reasons for attracting such a large number bio-pharma research labs and manufacturing units in the state are attributed to the industrial friendly policies, salubrious climate, availability of large technical pool from the pharmacy, engineering and medical colleges together with the presence of leading research institutes like Indian Institute of Science, National Centre for Biological Sciences and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR). Several bioinformatics companies have sprung up here because of the state's information technology expertise. The extension from IT to BT was only a matter of application, Vidyashankar added.

Among the leading bio-pharma companies in the state in the areas of research and manufacture include Biocon, Avesthagen, Animal Biotech, Aurigene, Bangalore Genei and Biovel Life Sciences. In the drug discovery space, there are Advinus Therapeutics and Jubilant Drug Discovery Centre and in the bio-informatics space there are companies like ArisGlobal Software, Bigtec, Genotypic Technologies, IBM and Infosys to name a few.

Among the new entrants in the state in 2007 are Advinus Therapeutics, Biovel and Anthem Biosciences.

In view of the strong IT base and the global reputation Bangalore enjoys as the world's fourth largest technology hub, the city is fast turning into a 'bio cluster'. The Biocon Park in the Bommasandra Industrial Area and the upcoming Bangalore Helix Biotech Park along with the Advinus and Jubilant infrastructure provide a global perspective to the biotech sector.

While the Indian biotech sector is valued at Rs 8,400 crore, ending March 2007 with a growth rate of 35 per cent, Karnataka's share is Rs. 3360 crore registering over 25 per cent growth.

The state government with the contributions of the Vision Group on Biotechnology headed by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is all set to announce the revised version of the Biotech Policy which will not only continue to be industry-friendly but provide all support for the sector to grow over the next decade. "Karnataka was the first state to announce the Biotech Policy and now the revamped version will make it the most progressive document for the sector. It is expected to increase the investments", Vidyashankar said.