Guwahati: Technologically advanced translational research and entrepreneurship centre Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC) caters to the essential needs of startups and entrepreneurs in the field of life sciences. BBC has played a crucial role in developing technologies and products with significant social impact, achieving 100% occupancy within a short span of its operations.
In recognition of its efforts to nurture entrepreneurship in life sciences, BBC has consecutively won the Best Bio-Incubator Award in the public sector undertaking category for the last two years in the Biospectrum survey. The world-class incubation hub, with a Common Instrumentation Facility spread across a 10-acre campus, is currently under development to meet the increasing demand for incubation space.
BBC provides mentoring, funding opportunities, branding and networking support, apart from its state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment. It caters to various domains of life sciences, including healthcare (MedTech & Bio-Pharma), agriculture, food & nutrition, industrial biotechnology and environmental biotechnology.
In an exclusive interview with Business North East (BNE), Mohamed Adil A.A., Managing Director of Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre, shared insights on how the centre is empowering entrepreneurs and startups, as well as its upcoming plans.
Excerpts from the Q&A interview:
BNE: What is the mission and vision of the Bangalore Innovation Initiative?
Mohamed Adil A.A: Bangalore Bio Center is a Government of Karnataka initiative focused on advancing biotechnology in the state. We have a 70,000 sq. ft. incubation space dedicated to life sciences startups, including healthcare, agriculture, food, nutraceuticals, climate, environmental sciences, bio-IT, and biogas. The Karnataka government aims to create a significant impact on the life sciences ecosystem by fostering startups catering to various sectors, from farmers and rural entrepreneurs to corporate enterprises. Our mission is to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship, enabling more startups to emerge while attracting corporate collaborations and ultimately driving economic growth.
BNE: How is it empowering entrepreneurship and startups?
Mohamed Adil A.A: At BBC, we focus on both entrepreneurship development and skill training. We offer internships for undergraduate students, along with specialised training programs tailored to industry requirements. Additionally, we have an initiative called ‘Skilling the Skilled,’ where professionals from different corporate sectors and industries identify pain points, and we provide them with the necessary knowledge and expertise to address these challenges. By doing so, we create an ecosystem that fosters innovation and supports entrepreneurs in building commercially viable businesses.
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BNE: What groundbreaking innovations has the initiative facilitated?
Mohamed Adil A.A: Since its inception in 2015, BBC has supported numerous startups. Notable innovations include Pandorum, which developed Liquid Cornea, the first of its kind in the world and a company called Forbes, which has made advancements in personalised medicine using genomic data for oncology treatments, aligning with the Indian Government's genomic initiatives. Another remarkable startup, Fixed Forty-Four, has introduced non-dairy-based milk. BBC has incubated over 460+ startups across MedTech, AgriTech, Bio-IT, biomass, and digital automation, all of which contribute to groundbreaking advancements in their respective fields.
BNE: What are your plans for the next five years?
Mohamed Adil A.A: We are launching the Bangalore Biobank, which will support startups by providing human tissue samples, human data samples, and DNA data banking. Additionally, we are collaborating with NABARD to establish a centre focusing on pre-farm to post-fork research, enabling the commercialisation of research activities. A major initiative we are undertaking is the Biopharma Mission, aimed at catering to pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore, we are focussing on climate and sustainability initiatives, including carbon credit validation, to help startups in this domain. These efforts will collectively strengthen the biotech and life sciences ecosystem, fostering innovation and sustainability-driven entrepreneurship.
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