Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India officially declared open the fourth edition of C-CAMP organized National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC).

NBEC, India’s largest and most prestigious national competition for bio entrepreneurs is   held by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms, or C-CAMP every year to attract, identify and nurture pathbreaking deep science driven business ideas. The competition is a nationwide search for ideas with significant potential for societal impact in the life sciences domain.

Conducted as a part of BREC – the BIRAC Regional Entrepreneurship Centre, established at C-CAMP in partnership with BIRAC, NBEC is entering its fourth consecutive year in 2020.

This year, NBEC is diving even deeper in search for innovators and entrepreneurs. It has added a special student vertical for NBEC 2020, in addition to start-ups and has instituted separate awards for student led teams.

Dr Swarup in an inspiring message referred to India’s top 50 Global Innovation Index 2020 ranking and said “To rise up further on the global innovation index and establish India as a global innovation hub, we cannot continue to be followers. Innovators in India need to take initiative and seize the day, make the best of opportunities such as NBEC. Together with our vibrant and strong ecosystem of enablers, industry, academia & investors, we can potentially leapfrog to the very top.”

Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon lauded the role NBEC has played in catalyzing bio entrepreneurship in India and said “Translating science to business through entrepreneurial ventures is the biggest testimony to pathbreaking research. Innovators need to know what creates market demand and deliver to meet that demand. The mentorship opportunities that NBEC brings will help meet that crucial gap in market economics skills.”

The National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition 2020 has a total Rs 7.1 crore in cash prizes and investment opportunities in the startup category. Besides, winners will also get access to mentorship by key industry leaders and networking opportunities, seed funding and business acceleration networks. Student teams stand to win prizes of upto 10 lakhs including mentorship by leading industry names and networking opportunities.

C-CAMP CEO and Director Dr.Taslimarif Saiyed said “NBEC is about building entrepreneurship ground-up in India. With the right keenness to become innovators and an enabling ecosystem where industry and government work in synergy, our innovation quotient can only go higher. The position in top 10 of Global Innovation index is within reach!”