Bangalore INDIA BIO 2010 inaugurated

Bangalore INDIA BIO 2010, India's premier Biotechnology event organized by the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, Vision Group on Biotechnology and MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications Co was inaugurated today by Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, and Shri Katta Subramanya Naidu - Hon'ble Minister for IT & BT, Information, Excise and BWSSB, Government of Karnataka.

“Canada has 33 agreements with India which include agro and health sectors. Canada is looking forward to work jointly with India in genomic, water purification and security, and food security.”

The other dignitaries present during the inauguration included Mr. Rob Norris - Hon'ble Minister of Advanced Education, Employment & Labour, Govt. of Saskatchewan, Canada, Shri. S V Ranganath, IAS - Chief Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka, Mr. Richard Hyde - British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka, Prof. Samir K Brahmachari - DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, Govt. of India, Shri. Ashok Kumar C Manoli - Karnataka Principal Secretary for IT & BT and Science & Technology, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, Karnataka's Vision Group on Biotechnology & CMD Biocon and Shri. Aravind Jannu, IAS - Director, Directorate of IT & BT, Govt. of Karnataka & Managing Director, KBITS.

'Biotech for a better tomorrow' is the focal theme of Bangalore INDIA BIO 2010.

The THREE-day long event, being held at Hotel Lalit Ashok, will consist of Multi-Track Conference, International Trade Show, BioPartnering, CEO Conclave, Bio Excellence Award and a host of other events. The Multi-Track Conference will consist of 25 Sessions with over 100 Speakers addressing the sessions.

Inaugurating the event, Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, said, "Even though Karnataka is a pioneer and commands a leadership position in India's Biotech sector, the state government is continuously working towards the industry's needs. New Millennium Biotechnology Policy of 2001 has given many incentives and concessions. As a result, the state has accounted for US$ EIGHT HUNDRED TEN million (26%) of India's biotech market of US$ THREE billion. In the past Twelve months Eleven new Biotech companies have come up in Karnataka, taking the number to ONE HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT out of the THREE HUNDRED SIXTY in India."

"Karnataka is home for FIVE of the of the top TEN biotech companies in India. In order to produce employable and skilled manpower to the industry, the state government is encouraging Biotech finishing schools, of which TEN will come up this year. Government has also proposed to set up Bio-Venture fund of US$ TEN million. Sector specific Biotech Parks would be set up in Mysore, Mangalore, Dharwad and Bidar. With the aim to cut down thirty percent time of the drug discovery, the government proposed Bio-IT center in collaboration with JNCSAR, Strand Life Sciences, Center for Human Genetics and IBAB," added Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa.

Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, Karnataka's Vision Group on Biotechnology & CMD Biocon, gave an account of the 10 years of transformative period, in which Bangalore Bio has evolved to become Bangalore India Bio. She said, "Bangalore has become a global hub for clinical data management and post marketing data management. Now we have the most diversified bioclusters in Karnataka. Of the 380 Biotechnology companies of India 198 are in Karnataka and 191 of them are in Bangalore. Having come a long way, now is the time to shift from Western centric models. India and China can play a lead role in the world in the areas of food security and health-care."

She added, "Knowledge led attributes of Bangalore are the drivers of the growth of Biotechnology industry in Bangalore and 11 of the 32 new biotechnology companies have come up in Karnataka in the past 12 months. Hindustan Petroleum is coming up with a rupees five hundred Crores R&D unit for clean energy and biofuels. 10 years ago we dreamt of achieving a US$ Five billion industry size. The size of the industry was US$ three billion in 2010 with a 20% growth rate. The figure is US$ four billion if we include ancillary industries which are growing at a rate of 40%. Now we are close to realizing the dream in the near future."

Dr. Shaw thanked the government of Karnataka for taking the request of finishing schools forward.

Shri. Ashok Kumar C Manoli - Karnataka Principal Secretary for IT&BT and Science & Technology, said, "The proof of success of the 10th edition is evident from the numbers of participants in the event. Participation of 20 countries and 700 delegates is making the event a notable one. Most importantly this year's event is very significant as it is taken by the industry as the precursor to the Global Investor's meet taking place from tomorrow. To reinforce the state's commitment, Five Bio-Tech Parks are being set-up - a Nutri-Nutraceuticals and a Phyto-Pharmaceuticals Park in Mysore, Marine Bio-Tech Park in Mangalore, Agri-Biotech Park in Dharwad and a Vivarium Park in Bidar."

Mr. Richard Hyde - British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka, said, "The commitment of UK towards India is evident from the fact that it has been participating from the beginning year of Bangalore Bio from 2001. UK is a very important partner for India as it accounts for 20% of the Biotech medicines of the world and has the capacity to address the global and local healthcare needs. Acting in accordance with the edition's theme of 'Biotech for a better tomorrow' UK has signed for a US$ 160 million vaccine development scheme with India."

Mr. Rob Norris - Hon'ble Minister of Advanced Education, Employment & Labour, Govt. of Saskatchewan, Canada, said, "Canada has 33 agreements with India which include agro and health sectors. Canada is looking forward to work jointly with India in genomic, water purification and security, and food security."

Prof. Samir K Brahmachari - DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, Govt. of India, said, "India has shown its competitiveness in the past two decades and now it is time to work towards R&D leadership. We can achieve this by removing hierarchical bureaucratic and academic structures. From next year India will produce about a million engineers and if we deploy them in the R&D projects even for a few months, we can do wonders. CSIR has 10 labs dedicated to Biotechnology out of its 37 labs. These labs work to focus on CSIR 800 - a programme that focuses on the issues of 800 million people of India at the bottom of the pyramid. If there is no inclusive growth, there is no meaning to the great achievements in the technology front."

Citing some examples, Shri. Brahmachari said, "CSIR has given an enhanced 'Aswagandha' (equivalent of Chinese ginseng) to the farmers of SIX states of India. Biotechnology sector has lots of such opportunities so as to participate in the inclusive growth of India."

Shri S V Ranganath, IAS - Chief Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka, said, "The Biotechnology sector should focus on producing more crop per drop of water. The over 800 business meetings taking place in the current edition of Bangalore Bio speaks volumes about the success of the event. India is playing a very important role in the Biotechnology industry worldwide and Bangalore Bio is an excellent platform to meet international and domestic companies to strike business deals."

Shri. Aravind Jannu, IAS - Director, Directorate of IT & BT, Govt. of Karnataka & Managing Director, KBITS, said, "154 exhibitors and 136 eminent speakers are participating in the event to set new directions for the industry. We are expecting about 5000 business visitors to this show. Moreover the State Government is working very closely with the industry to ensure the success of this event."

Key topics to be addressed in Bangalore INDIA BIO 2010 are in the areas of Regulatory Issues for BioPharma Industry, BioProcess Engineering and BioManufacturing, BioCollaborations - between Industry, Academia & Investor, CROs In - Growth Drivers and Critical Success Factors, Meeting the Challenges & actualizing the Potential in Clinical Trials, BioMedical Technology - Future of Diagnostics, Medical Technology - Focused for Emerging Markets, Software Solutions for Biotech, BioPharmaceuticals - Drug Discovery & the Development of innovative R & D, Vaccines for emerging medical conditions, neglected diseases and pandemic preparedness and Successfully Negotiating the Biosimilars Landscape.