Biotechnology Parks and Incubators
Biotech Parks are facilities created mainly to promote tiny, small and medium biotech entrepreneurs. The Biotechnology Parks and Biotech Incubation Centres provided a good template for the promotion of Biotech start up companies and the promotion of Public Private Partnerships. Tiny and small entrepreneurs can initiate modern biotech products if they come from academia with proof of concepts with them. Such possessions require a backup of basis research with potentials of applications. The Indian Academia is not based upon the application-oriented research; there may not be many who are ready to come forward to take a business risk. The government of India through the Department of Biotechnology has been instrumental in promoting the setting up of small and medium industries in biotechnology in different parts of the country (www.dbtindia.nic.in). Towards these efforts the government with the assistance of the state governments has earmarked land and such zones have been designated as biotechnology parks. These parks have been planned to provide financial and other logistical support to new entrepreneurs having the intellectual capabilities to develop new biotech products and processes. Such entrepreneurs may find the parks attractive. Biotech Parks have been created or planned/proposed in a number of states in India including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh etc. The total investment contemplated in such facilities is estimated at approximately 15 billion rupees. Some Biotechnology Parks with different kind of collaborations / joint venture are:
1. Lucknow Biotech Park
DBT has set up a Biotechnology Park at Lucknow. It has a number of facilities like a distillation unit, vermin-composting facilities, extraction plant, bio-business centre and also a bio-informatics centre. A Biotechnology Incubation Centre is being set up at a few places (www.dbtindia.nic.in). "Biotechnology City - Lucknow", with its network of Educational and R&D institutions, UP unit of Confederation of Indian Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and support of Department of Biotechnology and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Government of India, offers unique opportunities for the establishment of biotechnology based industries.
The establishment of the Biotechnology City at Lucknow signifies a new era of partnership among educational and R&D institutions and industry, and serves as a starting point for various innovative industrial activities. Facilities at Biotech Park (with participatory R&D organisations) include Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Facilities for Chemical Profiling, Microscopy and many others. There are around 17 tenant companies across various areas
2. Shapoorji Pallonji Biotech Park
Shapoorji Pallonji Biotech Park Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture Company with the Government of Andhra Pradesh has been incorporated for developing and managing the Biotech Park. The State-of-art Biotech Park is the first of its kind in India and would be the hub of the Genome Valley. It provides sustainable linkages among industry, research institutes and academia. The mission of the park is to be the focal point of technological innovation for knowledge-based biotechnology enterprises.
The Park has forged alliance with leading Research Institutions in India as well as Biotech organizations abroad. The Park is a member of International Association of Science Parks as well as Biotechnology Industry Organization, USA and has agreements for mutual collaboration with the Research Triangle Park, USA; Technology Park Heidelberg, West Germany and the Biotechnologies Park Luckenwalde, New Berlin. The facilities like ready to use modular wet labs on lease rental basis, a Biotechnology Incubation Centre (including Pilot Plant), Business support facilities are currently available in the park.
[www.ncti-india.com/mem/shapoorjipallonjibiotechpark.htm]
3. MITCON Biotechnology Incubation Centre
MITCON Biotechnology Incubation Centre at Pune is sponsored by DST, Govt. of India & APCTT, New Delhi. MITCON Biotechnology centre provides comprehensive updates on technologies that can be commercialized, technical / entrepreneur training, consultancy and product support services. The main thrust area is in the field of agri-biotechnology. The centre houses facilities for Microbiology, Tissue Culture, Bio-fertilizer, Bio-pesticides, Advanced Biotech Incubation and Entrepreneurship Development, Information Repository and Consultancy Services. Its objectives range to Commercialize viable Bio-Technologies through Entrepreneurs Science (Graduates /Biotechnologist, Technocrats / Farmer entrepreneurs) to training and providing infrastructure etc.
[www.mitconindia.com/biotech_aboutUs.htm , www.rishibiotech.com/biotechparks]
4. Ticel Biopark Ltd.
Ticel Bio Park has been established with join venture of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO) to provide world class laboratory infrastructure and services for Biotech R&D in Chennai. TICEL acts as a focal hub for Biotech R&D industry in major domains of Biotechnology such as Medical Biotechnology, Nutraceuticals, Agricultural Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.
The Bio Park facilities include Bio Resource Centre (Under Consideration), Wet labs for Fermentation & Microbiology, Downstream Processing, Molecular Biology, Plant Tissue Culture, Animal Tissue Culture and Analysis, Tenancy Area, Training Centre.
[www.ticelbiopark.com/features.html]
5. Akruti Biotech Park
Akruti biotech Park, is a Biotech Park Project undertaken by Gujarat Akruti TCG Biotech Limited(GATBL), under mandate of the Government of Gujarat . GATBL is the Joint Venture company between Akruti City Ltd. (formerly Akruti Nirman Ltd.), TCG Urban Infrastructure Holdings Limited and Government of Gujarat, with Akruti being the majority stake holder to develop a state of art Bio Technology Park at Savli, Vadodara about 14 km from Vadodara Airport and 8 km away from the National Highway.
Facilities available in Park include incubation centre (86,000 sq. ft.), Modular wet labs, Common equipments, Pilot plant, Tissue culture labs for plants and animals. The park has Industry Arcade, Utility services, Centre of Knowledge, namely Gujarat Research Institute for Biotechnology (GAURI) and Business centre.
[http://www.akrutibiotech.com]
6. International Biotech Park
International biotech park (IBP) is a joint venture project between the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and TCG Urban infrastructure Holding Ltd.(TCGUIH). A total of Rs. 250 crore was invested in the project. The development, promoting and the marketing of the 110 –acre park at Hinjewadi, near Pune, is done by TCGUIH. Currently about 10 companies and research institutes have booked space in the park.
[www.rishibiotech.com/biotechparks.htm]
7. Biotechnology Incubation Centre / Pilot plant facilities at Kerala
The Biotech Park in Kerala is being established in an approx. area of 240 acres at Kalamassery, Ernakulum Dist., Kochi by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA), Trivandrum. The DBT specifically supports the Centre to promote Biotechnology based industrial activities, knowledge of traditional medicine, medicinal herbs, spices, availability of elite plant varieties and development of trained manpower and expertise etc. Since Kerala has internationally reputed ayurvedic centres, the Biotech Park would promote small entrepreneurs and units for knowledge of traditional medicine, herbs and plant varieties, spices etc. The Biotech Park will consist of three components viz - Technology Incubation Centre (TIC), Pilot Plant and Business Enterprise Zone. The TIC building would have both exclusive lab space and instrumentation labs. The BTIC would help these small units to modernize production technology and also provide quality assurance of raw materials and products aimed at value addition. The objectives are to conserve and multiply plants and spices, ensure availability of tissue culture facility for quality planting material, provide green house and hardening facilities, undertake finger printing of plant material to select elite plants for propagation, and ensure germ plasm protection for maintaining biodiversity of the state. Besides that the BTIC would have analytical facilities for quality control and R&D wet labs modules for lease to industries. The BTIC would also have Bioinformatics and Patent facilitation cell. The incubator facility would accelerate commercialization of new technologies, support new ventures in biotechnology and provide appropriate linkages to entrepreneurs.
[ http://dbtindia.nic.in/index.asp]
Go back to Home Page of 'India, Science & Technology:2008'