India poised to become biotech hub: Israel s Yigal Erlich

Transcription

1 India poised to become biotech hub: Israel s Yigal Erlich OUR BUREAU COMMENTS PRINT T+ inshare 1 NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 22: India is poised to become a major biotechnology hub in the world and sustained support is crucial and there is a lot that Israel and India can learn from each other, Yigal Erlich, Founder, Israel s Yozma Group, said in his keynote address to an innovators meet organised here by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector undertaking. Erlich, who is here for BIRAC s two-day event, which was inaugurated by S&T Minister Harsh Vardhan, later met Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technolog among others and deliberated on the emerging landscape of private venture funding in the country, especially in the life sciences arena, an official release said. A founding father of the Israeli venture capital industry and one of the prominent figures in the Israeli high-tech arena, he also interacted with investors. (This article was published on September 22, 2016)

2 HOME Centre firmly behind each innovator, entrepeneur, says Harsh Vardhan at 5th BIRAC meet ANI New Delhi [India] September 23, 2016 Last Updated at 13:34 IST ALSO READ Radical changes needed in medical education: Harsh VardhanGovernment encouraging women's participation in science: Harsh VardhanHarsh Vardhan says no dearth of talent in IndiaHarsh Vardhan for strengthening traditional system of medicineindia plans double investment for clean energy: Harsh Vardhan Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, presiding over the inaugural ceremony of the two-day Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector undertaking under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), has said that the Centre is firmly behind each innovator and entrepeneur, and supports their ideas, and through them, find solutions to the challenges faced by society. The BIRAC Innovator's Meet is an industry-academia interface facilitating national and global partners, providing innovators access to risk capital through targeted funding, technology transfer, IP management and handholding schemes. This would help in bringing innovation excellence to Indiann biotech firms, make them globally competitive and facilitate novel, high quality and cost-effective affordable technologies. In the National Biotechnology Development Strategy, , Bio-incubators would be scaled up to 50 and 5 new Bio-clusters would be formed. With over 500 Start ups and SMEs, 100 Entrepreneurs being a part of this ecosystem, BIRAC has nearly 50 products in different stages of development and commercialization. The target is scaling this 10 times

3 in the next 5 years through initiatives like BIG (Biotechnology Ignition Grant), SITARE (supporting grass root student innovators), eyuva (creating entrepreneurial culture in universities), BioNEST (nurturing entrepreneurship by establishing Bio Incubation Centres), tax exemptions to biotech startups in Budget , inter alia. Dr. Harsh Vardhan quoted Swami Vivekananda, "Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea", and inspired a distinguished gathering of young innovators to follow their ideas and take risks to achieve path breaking innovations, research and development. He recounted extraordinary achievements in the field of Biotechnology in India like affordable rotavirus vaccine, 2G ethanol from biomass inter alia, and inspired the young innovators present. Minister of State Y.S. Chowdary highlighted the importance of "Right Investment at the Right Time, Right Place and Age in bringing a quantum jump in the field of innovation in Life Sciences." There is a need to look beyond individual profits and losses and concentrate on Network Management to create an ecosystem for need-based research and original innovation in the country, he added. The Keynote address was delivered by Yigal Elrich, Founder, Chairman and Managing Partner, Yozma Group, Israel. He, as the founding father of the Israeli venture capital industry and one of the most prominent figures in the Israeli high-tech arena, interacted with the investors and other participants present during the event. He expressed that India is soon going to become the Biotech hub of the World. During the inaugural ceremony on THursday, Dr. Harsh Vardhan also presented the BIRAC Innovator Awards for the best innovations from all over the country. Dignitaries also released compendiums of BIRAC's activities, its success stories and the 'Make in India for Biotech - the way forward' report during the event. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

4 BIRAC to organise Innovators Meet in Delhi on Sept to discuss on Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap Our Bureau, Mumbai Thursday, September 22, 2016, 08:00 Hrs [IST] The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC ) is organising the 5th Innovators Meet on September 22 to 23, 2016 in New Delhi. The theme of the meet would be Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap. The Innovators Meet is being organised for marking BIRAC s continuous efforts to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in all places of research. BIRAC s mandate is to serve as a single window interface to promote affordable innovation in key social sectors with higher focus on start-ups and small and medium enterprises. The Meet is a confluence of around 300 scientists, entrepreneurs and industry experts, and policy makers, who come together to discuss the contemporary issues in the biotech innovation ecosystem and to leverage the networking opportunities offered by the platform. BIRAC is a non-profit public sector enterprise under the aegis of Department of Biotechnology (DBT). In the past 5 years, BIRAC has forged partnerships with reputed organisations such as Tekes, Finland; Hort Innovation Australia; and Nesta, UK. These partnerships and BIRAC's initiatives have made it possible to support more than 300 biotech companies, mainly start-ups and SMEs and over 100 young entrepreneurs. Today, over 35 products/technologies mainly healthcare devices and industrial products have been delivered through BIRAC support. 31 early stage technologies have been developed and 105 new Intellectual Property (IP) generated. Union minister for science & technology and earth sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan will be the chief guest at the Meet and minister of state for science & technology and earth sciences Y.S. Chowdary will be the guest of honour. Other key dignitaries to be attending the event would be Yigal Erlich, The Yozma Group, Israel and Dr. Sarvajna Dwivedi, Global TiE Silicon Valley, who would be delivering the Plenary Talk. In addition, there will be a high level panel with Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, secretary, DBT; Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, DST; Ramesh Abhishek, secretary, DIPP and other investors & industrialists who will discuss on the theme Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap. The discussions will aim at chalking out the action plans required to scale up the innovations pertaining to the biosciences sector that affect the lives of a 1.3 billion in India and has the potential to make positive impact on the masses across the globe. Five BIRAC innovators would also be awarded for their outstanding contributions and innovative products/technologies.

5 Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap PTI September 22, 2016 UPDATED 17:40 IST A +A - (Attn.editors: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same). Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap NEW DELHI, September 22, 2016/PRNewswire/ -- The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Public Sector Undertaking under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India organized its 5th Innovators Meet at the Mapple Emerald, New Delhi. The two-day event, which is a part of BIRACs continuous efforts to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, started on September 22, 2016 (Thursday) and continues till September 23,2016 (Friday). The theme of discussion at the meet is Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap. The event was attended by Chief Guest Honble Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Guest of Honour, Honble Minister of State (MoS), Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri YS Chowdary. There were over 350 participants, including Mr. Yigal Erlich, The Yozma Group and Dr. Sarvajna Dwivedi, Global TiE from Silicon Valley and many other senior policy makers, industrialists, startups and entrepreneurs. Day 1 of the meet started with an open session between high-level investors and innovators. An Innovation Market place featuring 25 innovators was held followed by the inaugural session. BIRAC 2 PTI September 22, 2016 UPDATED 17:40 IST A +A -

6 Inaugurating the two-day meet, the Chief Guest - Dr. Harsh Inaugurating the two-day meet, the Chief Guest - Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Honble Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, said "India is the land of innovations and it gives me great pleasure to see such a large number of entrepreneurs and innovators showcasing their ideas. As per the vision of the Prime Minister, this government is doing everything within its power to give Indian entrepreneurs a platform to take their ideas to the world and vie with the best. The BIRAC Innovators Meet is one such platform which brings entrepreneurs and investors together and catalyzes an open discussion between them." The Guest of Honour - Shri YS Chowdary, Honble MoS, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences in his address said, "Over the last 5 years, a foundation has been laid for an innovationdriven biotech enterprise in the country. DBTs National Biotech Development Strategy for has defined the policy outline to achieve the next transition for the Indian biotechnology. The Government is keen on making India the pioneer of innovation. We have jumped 15 places in the Innovation Index and we are now on the way to continued growth in the innovation sphere. It is important that the excellent work done by BIRAC in creating the Ecosystem is scaled up. It is important to work with all stakeholders especially states. I am confident that we can scale up this model to spread across the country." Prof. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, DBT and Chairman, BIRAC during the inauguration said, "The biotech startup landscape has grown in the country over the previous five years. The changing ecosystem has been driven by several elements such as public funding agencies, angel funding and VC funding. We are more focused on research and innovation than ever before and it is yielding results. Our job is to be present at every stage of the innovation ecosystem so that we are in a position to support innovators by helping take their idea and proof-of-concept to the market. Institutions such as BIRAC are committed to promoting affordable innovation in key social sectors in order to achieve the larger goal and mission of an innovation-driven Indian biotech enterprise." As part of a two day workshop, Innovation Ecosystems: Stories from the Biological Frontier By: Eleonore Pauwels

7 Through a series of filmed interviews featuring players across the ecosystem of the health and life sciences we seek to identify and begin to define the emerging biological innovation ecosystem that is most suitable for the creation of an open and inclusive bioeconomy. The current landscape of the biotechnology industry has shifted from being occupied predominantly by universities and government agencies, to having myriad startups and entrepreneurs, facilitating the ascent of citizen and do-ityourself (DIY) science. This change in the types of actors has emphasized research alongside innovation but requires a larger paradigm shift in the biotechnology industry. Innovation Ecosystems in Genomics and Biology on September 22-23, 2015, Eleonore Pauwels from The Wilson Center and Eri Gentry from The Institute for the Future brought together experts who represent a range of expertise in biology and genomics to examine what forces will help innovation grow, while expanding ethical, moral, financial, and legal codes to accommodate such a shift in the industry. From producing novel biofuels to targeted therapeutics, biotechnology has captured the attention of not only the scientific community, but those seeking solutions to complex social challenges as well. As the foundation of the modern economy shifts to a reliance on economic activity fueled by research and innovation in the biosciences, a window of opportunity has emerged for nontraditional actors to institute new models for innovation, incentive, and intellectual property. Such models may include ideas such as independent

8 publishing, crowdfunded research, socially driven innovation and consumer biotech. While research has been moving outside of traditional spaces, there needs to be a way to facilitate the transition from research to market for a growing community of non-institutional actors. An innovation ecosystem is one that transforms knowledge into products, processes and services that fuel economic growth, creates employment and wealth, and generates significant improvements in a region s standard of living. Sustaining an innovation economy means evolving, adapting, re-imagining, and re-inventing to create and utilize new ideas and information into both existing and novel products and services. In order for noninstitutional actors to claim a space for change however, fundamental questions addressing the composition of such an innovation ecosystem need be identified. How do we develop a system, which includes both traditional and nontraditional actors, that is capable of producing innovation? In addition to traditional commercial innovation, there also exists the potential to incorporate novel ways of producing socially driven innovation defined by transparency, ethical acceptance, sustainability, and socially desirable outcomes. Through a series of filmed interviews featuring players across the ecosystem of the health and life sciences we seek to identify and begin to define the emerging biological innovation ecosystem that is most suitable for the creation of an open and inclusive bioeconomy.

9 BIRAC organizing 5th Innovators Meet to promote affordable innovation in all places of research BIRAC organizing 5th Innovators Meet to promote affordable innovation in all places of research New Delhi, Sep 21 (KNN) BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council), which has the mandate is to serve as a single window interface to promote affordable innovation in key social sectors with higher focus on startups & small and medium enterprises (SMEs), is organizing the 5th Innovators Meet on September in the national capital. BIRAC is a non-profit Public Sector Enterprise under the aegis of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. The theme of the meet would be Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap. The Innovators Meet aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in all places of research. It is a confluence of around 300 Scientists, Entrepreneurs & Industry Experts, and Policy Makers, who come together to discuss the contemporary issues in the biotech innovation ecosystem and to leverage the networking opportunities offered by the platform. In the past 5 years, BIRAC has forged partnerships with reputed organizations such as Tekes, Finland; Hort Innovation Australia; and Nesta, UK. These partnerships and BIRAC's initiatives have made it possible to supported more than 300 Biotech Companies, mainly Start-ups and SMEs and over 100 young Entrepreneurs. Today, over 35 Products/technologies mainly Healthcare Devices and Industrial products have been delivered through BIRAC support. 31 early stage technologies have been developed and 105 New Intellectual Property (IP) generated. Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan will be the Chief Guest and Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Y.S. Chowdary will be the Guest of Honour. The discussions will aim at chalking the action plans required to scale up the innovations pertaining to the biosciences sector that affect the lives of a 1.3 billion in India and has potential to make positive impact on the masses across the globe. 5 BIRAC Innovators would also be awarded for their outstanding contributions and Innovative products / technologies.

10 Press Information Bureau Government of India Ministry of Science & Technology 21-September :17 IST 5th BIRAC Innovators Meet BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council), a non -profit Public Sector Enterprise under the aegis of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, is organizing the 5th Innovators Meet on September 2016 in New Delhi. The theme of the meet would be Biotech Innovation Ecosystem - Strategizing the Next Leap. The Innovators Meet is being organized for marking BIRAC s continuous efforts to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in all places of research. BIRAC s mandate is to serve as a single window interface to promote affordable innovation in key social sectors with higher focus on start-ups & small and medium enterprises. It is a confluence of around 300 Scientists, Entrepreneurs & Industry Experts, and Policy Makers, who come together to discuss the contemporary issues in the biotech innovation ecosystem and to leverage the networking opportunities offered by the platform. In the past 5 years, BIRAC has forged partnerships with reputed organizations such as Tekes, Finland; Hort Innovation Australia; and Nesta, UK. These partnerships and BIRAC's initiatives have made it possible to supported more than 300 Biotech Companies, mainly Start-ups and SMEs and over 100 young Entrepreneurs. Today, over 35 Products/technologies mainly Healthcare Devices and Industrial products have been delivered through BIRAC support. 31 early stage technologies have been developed and 105 New Intellectual Property (IP) generated. Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan will be the Chief Guest and Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Y.S. Chowdary will be the Guest of Honour. Other key Dignitaries to be attending the event would be Mr. Yigal Erlich, The Yozma Group, Israel and Dr. Sarvajna Dwivedi, Global TiE Silicon Valley, who would be delivering the Plenary Talk. In addition, there will be a high level panel with Dr. K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, DBT; Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST; Shri Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, DIPP and other Investors & Industrialists who will discuss the theme of the. The discussions will aim at chalking the action plans required to scale up the innovations pertaining to the biosciences sector that affect the lives of a 1.3 billion in India and has potential to make positive impact on the masses across the globe. 5 BIRAC Innovators

11 would also be awarded for their outstanding contributions and Innovative products / technologies.