BioSpectrum's first ever Awards for the biotech industry were presented on 20 December 2003 in Bangalore. A report.

"Success is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." Success is also appreciation—both for measure of success and enabler for greater success. That was the philosophy behind BioSpectrum Awards. With this theme, the stage was set to felicitate the achievers of the biotech industry. Well-known biotechnology expert and Father of India's Green Revolution, Prof. M S Swaminathan was conferred the magazine's "Life Time Achievement" Award, while Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director of the Rs 286-crore Biocon India, was honoured with the "BioSpectrum Person of the Year" Award.

Accepting the Award from Editor-in-chief of BioSpectrum, Shyam Malhotra, Prof. Swaminathan, UNESCO Cousteau Chair in Ecotechnology and Chairman MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, said, "There is a lot to learn from children and a lot to learn from this young child, BioSpectrum, too." He stressed the need for synergy between technology and public policy. India can make rapid progress if we have the encouraging and enabling environment. In early Sixties everyone thought India cannot feed itself. But the hard work of scientists, farmers, and public policy proved all the predictions wrong. Great achievements are possible and biotech revolution is one, which is most relevant to bridge the gap between our natural resource endowments and the ability to convert these endowments to jobs and be meaningful to people. We have the opportunity to become #1 and at the same time ensure that the fruits reach everyone. Year 2004 has been declared as the 'Year of Scientific Awareness'. Everyone should be a part of that initiative." Prof. Swaminathan was conferred the Life Time Achievement Award for his tireless crusade using the tools of biotechnology to usher in a hunger-free world and make the earth a "Bio-Happy" place for the current and future generations of humanity.

"This gesture by BioSpectrum is very important and I feel proud that I am being honored by another pioneer," said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon on receiving Biospectrum's "Person of the Year" Award. She also expressed that people and activity that bring about change always inspired her. "India is a country that is changing rapidly and each and every activity and person who can bring about the important change will make a big difference to this country," told Mazumdar-Shaw. The Award was to recognize her passion for innovation and single-minded pursuit of excellence, for pioneering biotechnology with the launch of Biocon India in 1978, her entrepreneurial spirit and strong leadership that is driving the nation to seek its rightful place in the global biotechnology arena.

Ms Mazumdar-Shaw heads the country's largest biotechnology company Biocon and has been in the forefront of developing the nascent industry. She has been consolidating the industry by launching the Nasscom-equivalent of this industry called the Association of Biotechnology-Led Enterprises (ABLE) which is now playing a leading role in taking up biotech issues. Under her leadership, Biocon itself is poised for doubling its growth with expected revenues of over Rs 500 crore in 2003-04. Biocon's proposed IPO in early 2004 is likely to stimulate global investor interest in India's nascent biotechnology industry.

Awards in three other categories also were bestowed. These being "Entrepreneur of the Year", "State of the Year", and "Product of the Year". The Awards were conferred on Dr Krishna Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Hyderabad; Andhra Pradesh; and Strand Genomics respectively.

Dr Krishna M Ella was chosen the "Entrepreneur of the Year" for his visionary leadership and entrepreneurship which has led to the setting up of a world class institution in Bharat Biotech International and the launch of a slew of products in his pursuit to ensure "Healthy Tomorrow" for all the global citizens by developing and providing affordable, safe and effective healthcare solutions to combat most dreaded illnesses. "There are people in the slums who are suffering from Typhoid. They are the people who get dog bites—rabies. Today we are not able to bring down the prices of rabies vaccines below Rs 200. We have to find solutions for these people," said Dr Ella.

The Recipients of BioSpectrum Awards 2003 From left to right: Prof. Vijay Chandru, Chairman, Strand Genomics; Dr Krishna Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech; Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson and CMD, Biocon; Prof. MS Swaminathan, UNESCO Cousteau Chair in Ecotechnology and Chairman MS Swaminathan Research Foundation; and BP Acharya, Secretary, industry and commerce, Andhra Pradesh.

Mr BP Acharya, Secretary, Industry and Commerce, Andhra Pradesh, who has been driving the biotech initiatives of the state, received the BioSpectrum "State of the Year Award", on behalf of the State. Accepting the Award, he expressed the dream of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and said, "The State should move even faster and harder on its policies to implement and encourage biotechnology and become not just the best in India but also one of the best in the world." The Award was in recognition of the visionary leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his team, which is transforming Hyderabad and the entire state into one of the country's hottest biotech destinations. The leadership position has been achieved through a combination of making available world class infrastructure, investor-friendly policies and an enabling environment that promotes and sustains entrpreneurship in the cutting edge field of biotechnology.

Strand Genomics represented the spirit of innovation in biotechnology by turning up as a complete team to accept the Award for the best product, which went to their data mining and visualization platform AVADIS. Since its launch, AVADIS has been making waves. At least half a dozen licenses of this software product has been sold in a very short time. Strand Genomics is considered to be one of the biotech hot shops and has a unique position in the Indian biotech industry. It is the country's first pure play bioinformatics company and was started by a core team of academicians from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Prof. Vijay Chandru, Chairman of Strand Genomics, voiced that the product was a result of the efforts by the team to use the best of computer science knowledge to solve biotech problems and said that the Award was proof of the success of the thesis. He also said that there would be a stream of products flowing out in the years to come based on this platform technology.

BioSpectrum instituted the Awards to recognize outstanding contributions by individuals, companies and organizations to stimulate the growth of biotechnology in India. The Awards were selected by a jury headed by Dr D Balasubramanian, Director (Research) of LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. The other members of the Jury included Utkarsh Palnitkar, Director and Head of life sciences practices, Ernst & Young, Nitin Deshmukh, the Director-General of the Association of Biotechnology-Led Enterprises (ABLE), Shyam Malhotra, Editor-in-Chief, Cyber Media publications, and Abraham E Mathew, Chief Editor of BioSpectrum. Photo Gallery

Quote of the Night

The audience at the start of the Awards ceremony.	"Welcome to the 1st Awards Nite for Biotech Industry": Abraham E Mathew, Chief Editor of BioSpectrum.	Enlightening: Shyam Malhotra, Editor-in-Chief, Cyber Media publications, follows tradition.
"Success is appreciation and encouragement too": Shyam Malhotra elaborates on the Awards.	Honoring Prof. MS Swaminathan (on left) with the Life Time Achievement Award.	Felicitating Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (on right) with the Person of the Year Award.
Dr Krishna Ella (on left), Entrepreneur of the Year, receives the award from Aseem Chauhan (on right), chairman, Amity Foundation.	BP Acharya (on right) accepts the State of the Year Award on behalf of the AP Government, from Prof. MS Swaminathan.	Prof. Vijay Chandru (second from right) and his team receive the Product of the Year Award from Nitin Deshmukh (extreme right), director-general, ABLE.
"There is a need for synergy between technology and public policy. India can make rapid progress if we have the encouraging and enabling environment. … Year 2004 has been declared as the 'Year of Scientific Awareness' Cyber Media should play a key role in creating the awareness." — Prof. MS Swaminathan	"It is a privilege to receive an Award before people like Prof. Swaminathan and Mazumdar. … Today the prices of rabies vaccines are very expensive. We have to inspired to develop products for the masses." — Dr Krishna M Ella	"The product was a result of the efforts by the team to use the best of computer science knowledge to solve biotech problems. The Award was proof of the success of the thesis. … There would be a stream of products based on this platform technology." — Prof. Vijay Chandru
"This gesture by BioSpectrum is very important. … India is a country that is changing rapidly and each and every activity and person who can bring about the important change will make a big difference to this country." — Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw	"Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wants more. Not just become the best state in India but also one of the best in the world. … The State should move even faster and harder on its policies to implement and encourage biotechnology." — BP Acharya.	Audience at the start of the Awards ceremony.
Abraham E Mathew presents mementos from Mahindra Industrial Park Ltd to the Dr Ella, Mazumdar-Shaw, and Prof. Swaminathan.	"Thank You": The closing remark from Executive Editor N Suresh.	Clicked: The Award Recipients join for a photo shoot.