IT-enabled partnering in Bangalore Bio 2010

[sajiv]

IT-enabled partnering in Bangalore Bio 2010

Bangalore: The next edition of Bangalore Bio will incorporate a system for tracking partnering sessions to gauge the concrete outcomes of this key component of the annual biotechnology conference, said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson of the Vision Group on Biotechnology.

"We have been asked what the outcomes of the networking sessions have been and the only way we can track them is through IT-enabled partnering services," Ms. Shaw said at the closing plenary of Bangalore Bio 2009 on Saturday.

Bangalore Bio had become a more international event with greater partnering among international companies, which was the true mark of success of a forum like this one, she added. While 213 partnering sessions took place between Indian companies and international ones at the three-day event, 46 were among international companies.

The event saw 106 exhibitors, 685 conference delegates from 13 countries and 3,500 business visitors on the first two days.

Bangalore Bio 2010 would be held from June 2 to 4 next year, said Ashok Kumar Manoli, Principal Secretary, Department of IT, BT and Science and Technology. He reiterated that a revised biotechnology policy – one that would provide fiscal incentives to Indian companies and international investors – would be released next month. "Bangalore might be India's biotechnology hub but its potential in the sector was yet to be fully explored," he added.

Echoing this sentiment, M. Vidyashankar, president of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises, said that while recession had reduced the investors' "risk appetite" India continued to represent "both a skill and cost advantage."