Life sciences academia-industry meet held

Major players as well as start-ups from the life sciences sector participated in SYNCHN 2024, an academic-industry event, yesterday at Faridabad in Haryana. SYNCHN stands for ‘Synergy in science built through elements of collaboration for high quality data & expertise.’ Some of the key industry speakers at the meet represented Serum Institute of India, Panacea Biotech, Miltenyi Biotech, and Indian Immunologicals Limited.

The event was organized by the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), which is under the government’s Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC). “This event brought together stakeholders from the biotechnology industry, including representatives from startups, established companies, and policymakers. The focus of SYNCHN 2024 was to foster and strengthen academia-industry collaborations, with a particular emphasis on THSTI’s role in propelling biomanufacturing advancements,” an official press release said.

BRIC was created as an autonomous body under Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, to subsume 13 autonomous institutions. It is intended to integrate multi-disciplinary research, training, and innovation programmes operational across various DBT institutions for maximum impact and establish structures that leverage existing strengths to build systemic collaborations, identify convergent directions, and set a clear path for translation and asset monetization.

At the event, Niti Aayog member Vinod K. Paul expressed the government’s strong support for academia-industry collaborations, deeming them essential for the country’s progress.

Nirmal K. Ganguly, former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, highlighted the critical importance of collaboration between academic and industrial sectors in the field of medical biotechnology. He commended THSTI for its efforts in bringing together stakeholders from diverse areas with a shared focus on bio-innovation and bio-manufacturing.

Ganesan Karthikeyan, Executive Director of THSTI, emphasized the THSTI’s commitment to leveraging its research expertise and cutting-edge facilities to empower industry partners and further translational research efforts.

Rajesh Gokhale, BRIC Director General and DBT Secretary, highlighted the importance of academia-industry collaboration for bio-innovation and said that the NCR Biotech cluster is well-equipped to meet industry demands.