DBT to shepherd India Pavilion at BOSTON BIO

India is gearing up in a big way for the annual convention of BIO (Biotechnology Industry Association, USA) 2007, which will be held from May 6-9, 2007 in Boston, MA. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the department of biotechnology (DBT) and ABLE as a sectoral partner is organizing the India Pavilion at BIO 2007, the biggest biotech show of the year.

Compared with the fragmented individual efforts made the various stakeholders last year, this time the convention will see a consolidated Indian presence. Concerted efforts have already started for showcasing the Indian life sciences strength and opportunities under one umbrella. Moreover, this year, the Indian pavilion will be bigger and better, at par with that of the many other participating countries. The CII has secured a 4,400 sft prime location, almost four times the space as compared to last year, for the pavilion this year.

In addition, the India Pavilion will see an increased participation of the small and medium companies (SMEs) and entrepreneurs from the biotech and life sciences space in the country. In order to promote the SMEs at the convention, the DBT has partnered with CII so that the participation cost is subsidized for this sector.

Commenting on the preparations for the event, Dr MK Bhan, secretary, DBT, said, "India's participation at BIO 2007 should be consolidated and on a bigger scale. We need to connect with the delegations of other countries more proactively and with quality. So we are using our influence in the different knowledge circles to come up with our best effort. We are also linking with the international programs of the Science Ministry. The idea is to connect the efforts of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Science and Technology (DST) and DBT with that of the industry organizations like the CII, ABLE, and FICCI so that there is more cohesion on an international platform." Acknowledging the thrust on the small and medium companies this year, he added, "There is a concerted effort to promote and encourage more medium companies and SMEs to participate at BIO. We are working with them to be there in a sizable number."

CII will also coordinate a Biotechnology Mission to the US to meet select companies on May 3 and 4, 2007 in Massachusetts and Washington DC. Kapil Sibal, Union minister of science and technology and earth sciences will be the chief mission patron, accompanied by Dr MK Bhan along with other senior industry and government delegates. The India Pavilion will provide an opportunity to generate business leads for companies and help India to promote itself as a biotechnology destination. Some important features at the pavilion will be the focus on the Indian life sciences industry and government's facilitating role; India focused International seminars; Bilateral and one to one meetings.

The BIO convention is the largest gathering of biotechnology leaders in the world, attracting more than 18,000 participants, featuring over 190 sessions, almost 1000 speakers, 17,6,000 sft area, 60 pavilions and over 1,700 exhibitors.