India’s first largest biotechnology conference ‘Global Bio-India Summit, 2019’ held in Delhi

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, along with its Public Sector Undertaking, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) recently organised Global Bio-India 2019 in Delhi. The event witnessed academia, innovators, researchers, start-ups, medium and large companies coming together on the same platform to facilitate acceleration of the innovation ecosystem in India. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between BIRAC and Punjab to nurture the biotech ecosystem in the state.

Inaugurated by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science and Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences; Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel; and Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT and Chairperson, BIRAC, the three-day programme saw experts having deliberations on vaccines, biosimilars, medical devices and diagnostics, agriculture, industrial biotech, bioservices, emerging therapeutics, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, discovery research and development, regulatory compliance, intellectual property rights, incubation centres, entrepreneurship, startups, social innovation, and integration of startups with national missions, among others.

The session was also graced by dignitaries like Dr Vinod Paul, Member–Health, NITI Aayog; Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon; Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, CII National Health Care Council and Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta and Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII. Regulatory experts, luminaries of the Indian biotechnology industry, and national and international product development experts held discussions on Ayushman Bharat, Swachch Bharat, nutrition, investors reverse pitching, international ecosystem connect, partnerships, translational research and global partnership.

Dr Vardhan also inaugurated the Global Bio India Exhibition 2019, along with releasing three reports, namely Assessment of Indian Biotechnology Landscape, India bioeconomy Report 2019, and India: the emerging hub for biologics and bio-similars. He also released the Global Bio-India catalogue. Apart from it, two satellite conferences were held on nanobiotek and nano for agri and nine new BIRAC-supported products were launched, along with the BIRAC Compendium 2019.

Union Minister for Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal launched e-Portal www.biotech-solutions.com that showcases BIRAC-supported commercialised biotech products and technologies. The Lab to Market catalogue released during Global Bio-India 2019 showcases 111 such innovative products and technologies.

Dr Swarup launched Bio Angels that would bring together more than angel investors, HNIs, early-stage VCs, 10 corporate/family officers leading to 150 investments in three years in Biotech startups.

A programme ‘India Accelerator Platform for Healthcare Innovations’ was also announced by