Emphasizing the need to create a productive interface between academia and industry, two academic institutes of pharmaceutical sciences located in Hyderabad, in synergy  with Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC), an NGO engaged in industrial cluster development, have started two Institute-Industry Innovation Cells (IIICs) in the state capital of Andhra Pradesh.

TRR College of Pharmacy and Vishnu Institute for Pharmaceutical Education & Research (VIPER) are the institutes wherein the IIICs have been set up for their operations. The formal inauguration of the Cells was done by Dr P V Appaji, executive director of the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil). The IIIC is a joint initiative between TRR College of Pharmacy, VIPER, and the FMC.

People with knowledge about the concept said, the IIICs have been conceptualized to bridge the gap between academic institutions and pharmaceutical industry. In Andhra Pradesh, they are expected to contribute towards the innovation ecosystem of Hyderabad pharmaceutical clusters and help build the capacities of students and faculty members. The initiative is executed under a national level project titled ‘Promoting Innovative Clusters in India’, funded and supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. It is implemented by FMC at selected industrial clusters of India.

“In the life-science domain, many major breakthroughs are being triggered by academic institutions and then trickled towards industry for commercialization. The Cells are intended to cooperate, collaborate, and confluent with the industry by means of joint/collaborative research and training to achieve mutually designed objectives. A systematic and institutionalized governance system has been put in place to steer various activities of the Cells, which in turn will help achieve its objectives,” they said.

While inaugurating the Cells, Dr. Appaji said when product patent regime was triggered in India, the pharmaceutical industry was witnessing a lot of changes. The industry is continuously improving on various fronts. Indian pharmaceutical industry is emerging as a reliable and efficient player in catering to the global requirement of generic medicines at affordable cost; MSMEs are actively participating in the exports; medicines with added advantages/features have become USP of Indian pharmaceutical industry, and the country has become self-sufficient in the case of its domestic requirements.

He said the IIICs are envisaged to facilitate interaction, relation, association, and collaboration with pharmaceutical industry. The broad objectives of the Cells are to help and support industry to address R&D pertaining challenges related to a specific stage of the innovation value chain in the areas of pharmaceutical sciences and to undertake joint/collaborative activities leading to human resource development, research and development, institutional capacity building, and entrepreneurship development.

The executive director of the Pharmexcil is a member of the steering committee of the Innovation Cell. He appreciated both the colleges and the FMC in taking the initiative.

Sourabh Gargav, manager, Andhra Pradesh Operations of FMC said that an institutionalized platform to foster industry-institution linkage through students and faculty members of life-science domain is worthy to be explored in the present day knowledge based world.

Dr Uma Vasireddy, Head-IIIC, TRR College of Pharmacy and Dr Ramesh, principal, VIPER also spoke on the occasion. The initiative envisages attracting more and more pharmacy colleges and industry to come forward to collaborate, cooperate, and confluent with the pharmaceutical industry.