Mumbai-based Bombay College of Pharmacy (BCP) has been awarded Special Jury Mention for ‘Excellence in Enabling Research Environment’ at the 6^th FICCI Higher Education Excellence Awards 2019 recently.

The award was received by Prof. Krishnapriya Mohanraj, in-charge Principal, from Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, among other dignitaries present on the occasion.

“We are very proud to receive this honour from FICCI. The award is a testimony to the world-class industry-academia research taking place at BCP. The award is significant as it places a huge emphasis on scientific research within academic institutions.” said Prof. Krishnapriya Mohanraj.

Numerous research projects are at forefront in BCP in domains impacting healthcare and society. BCP has been recognized for the award for the following representative research projects among many being conducted at the institute. Investigation on liver enzymes assessing drug metabolism, a research thrust under the leadership of Dr Krishna Iyer and partially funded by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), represented the category on partially funded project by the industry. Dr. Mala Menon developed a targeted nanoliposomal platform for inhalation therapy of TB with complete internal financial support.  National Facility for Research and Training (NFRT) for testing of drugs, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals has been established with an aid of INR 5.87 crore under Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Research Programme funded by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The facility is a state of art research and training center with high end sophisticated hyphenated mass spectrometry instruments. This facility is established with the grant awarded to Dr Vaishali Shirsat and Prof Krishnapriya Mohanraj. Development of nanotechnology platforms that can aid treatment of HIV to improve maternal health was undertaken by Prof. Mangal Nagarsenker, and involved collaboration between University of Helsinki (Finland), University of Jena (Germany) and University of Porto (Portugal). The project was a showcase in category of projects partially funded by an International Agency. Further, other faculty members have also undertaken efforts in advancing research in field of waste water management, veterinary medicines, herbal drug technology, green initiatives and waste disposal.

Cumulative research efforts of faculty and students at BCP have culminated in 91 publications in various national and international journals of repute, 99 presentations at various conferences and 36 awards during the past three years. The college has received a funding of around nine crores through government and industry funding in the same period.

“Some of the future initiatives of BCP include setting up of a pilot plant that would aid technology transfer, scale up research projects, and offer solutions for challenges faced by industry. We also plan to expand the existing Innovation Cell to involve and motivate students even at UG level to work upon novel ideas and offer solutions for unmet societal needs,” said Prof. Mohanraj.

BCP has also conducted many technology development programs. External accolades like this on a national platform bear a testament to a vibrant research environment at BCP.