BIRAC Celebrates Its 12th Foundation Day In New Delhi, Several Dignitaries Attend Event

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) celebrated its 12^th Foundation Day on 20^th March 2024 at Scope Convention Centre, New Delhi. The event was attended by a large number of dignitaries from the scientific community and industry experts.

The inaugural session was graced by Prof. G Padmanaban, Honorary Professor, IISc Bangalore; Prof Peter Hotez, Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, USA; Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary DBT & Chairman BIRAC; Dr Jitendra Kumar, Managing Director, BIRAC and Ms. Nidhi Srivastava, Director-Finance, BIRAC.

Managing Director, BIRAC, Dr Jitendra Kumar in his welcome address said, “In the past 12 years, BIRAC has exceeded the expectations and filled the gap in the innovation chain by delivering impactful programs. BIRAC has showcased its commitment and capabilities through tangible outcomes, fostering the growth of a biotech ecosystem that competes on a global scale. This has led to the advancement of numerous innovations into market-ready products and technologies, effectively tackling societal challenges”.

Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary DBT & Chairman BIRAC in his inaugural address lauded the efforts of National Biopharma Mission, Program Management Unit at BIRAC for enabling support for development of vaccine candidates and towards affordable biopharmaceuticals and Biomedical products.

Prof. G. Padmanaban, Honorary Professor, IISc Bangalore in his plenary address talked about the MedTech past, present and future. He further added that the implementation of medical digital technologies can provide better accessibility and flexibility in healthcare for the society.

Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, USA delivered the Foundation Day lecture. He spoke about neglected disease vaccines and accelerating the vaccine portfolio beyond COVID. He further said that “India’s role in COVID really surprised people. I consistently said and still believe that biotechnology is India’s gift to the World”.

There were two panel discussions on the occasion of Foundation Day. The panel discussion on Women Leadership in Scientific Endeavors” celebrated the achievements of women leaders in STEM and how leadership roles have changed over the years. Dr. Alka Sharma, Senior Advisor and Scientist H, DBT; Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, Sr. Associate Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, USA; Dr. Neerja Bhatla, AIIMS; Dr. Sudha Bhattacharya, Ashoka University; Dr. Sunitha Venugopal, Founder – Gullab Sevaa Foundation were a part of this panel. The session was moderated by Ms. Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, Chairman & CEO, IKP Knowledge Park.

Another technical session on “Roadmap for Viksit Bharat”, focused on how innovation and research can help deliver and ensure access to affordable products for better healthcare outcomes: Viksit Bharat. Dr. Sanjay Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited; Dr. Nimesh Gupta, Senior Scientist and the Chief of the Vaccine Immunology Laboratory, NII; Dr.Kapil Maithal, President, Vaccines & Diagnostics, Zydus Cadila;  Dr. Sharad Kale, Ex-BARC;  Dr. Subhra Chakraborty, Director NIPGR and Dr. Vishal Rao, Group Director for Head & Neck Surgical Oncology and Robotic Surgery at HCG Cancer Centre, Bengaluru were a part of this technical session. The session was moderated by Dr. N.K. Arora, Executive Director, The INCLEN Trust International.

Eminent scientists, industry representatives, leaders from the scientific community, startups, incubators and officials from DBT and BIRAC were present at the occasion. The event ended on the positive note, delivering a great opportunity to celebrate the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that drives our country’s technical progress.

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