Our academic institutes of learning and research have focused on developing large numbers of qualified personnel but not necessarily with the skills and quality attributes sought by Industry to compete globally. It is vital to fix the skills deficit if we are to attain our global aspirations.
India’s
biotechnology industry has evolved in a challenging environment of sub-optimal
funding, inadequate infrastructure and weak regulation. What is commendable is the sustained growth
momentum the sector has delivered over the years and the scale that many
segments have realized.
The sector is
currently valued at about $11 billion, having grown at a CAGR of ~20% over the
last 10 years. It is estimated that
enabling policies can create a favourable business environment capable of
generating Biotech revenues of US$ 100 billion by 2025.
The success of
the Indian Biotech sector is attributable to a large pool of English-speaking
scientific and engineering talent and an educated technical work force that has
enabled cost competitive R&D and manufacturing to provide India with a
significant competitive edge over many other nations. India now aspires to position itself as a
leading global innovation hub for biotechnology.
The path ahead
is fraught with challenges of mounting global competition which in turn also
offer enormous opportunities of growth.
Success will largely depend on the availability of high end talent, easy
access to capital and simpler regulation.
The reality of the day is that our talent pool is shrinking, our regulatory
environment has become Draconian and access to capital is difficult. Of these, we must pay urgent attention to the
growing skill deficit that the Biotech sector faces in our ability to develop
Biosimilar drugs that will augment India’s Pharma success in generic drugs; genetically
modified Crops, Biofuels and enzyme based Green technologies.
Our academic
institutes of learning and research have focused on developing large numbers of
qualified personnel but not necessarily with the skills and quality attributes
sought by Industry to compete globally. It is vital to fix the skills deficit
if we are to attain our global aspirations.
Rising demand for specialized skills
Today, the rapid
pace at which scientific knowledge is advancing puts a high demand on highly
skilled scientists and engineers. We
need to push the boundaries of genetic engineering in order to find innovative
applications across a diverse cross section of industries from pharmaceuticals
to agriculture, industrial enzymes and informatics.
Furthermore,
synthetic biology is gaining great prominence in developing new diagnostics,
novel vaccines and drugs and a number of value added nutritional and food
ingredients.
Another
evolving field of study is the area of bio-markers and companion diagnostics,
which is the future of new medicine that will personalize therapy and optimize
the benefits of biotech drugs.
Another
frontier area is DNA-based Biometrics which can far outweigh the benefits of
retinal and fingerprinting technologies of today and emerge as the most
reliable identification technology of the future. Its application in India’s
Aadhar program can spearhead a powerful global paradigm.
Unequipped for industry
While
specialised life sciences skills are needed to address all these opportunities,
a wide gap currently exists between the quality of human capital available and
the needs of the industry.
A lack of
necessary laboratory infrastructure at many Indian colleges means many biotech
graduates probably not have used a basic biotech tool such as a gel apparatus.
Such lacunae make their undergraduate knowledge inadequate for an industry
setup.
The need of the
hour is therefore to equip students not only with theoretical skills but also
help them specialize in their chosen field of biotechnology through a rigorous
multidisciplinary project oriented
approach that encompasses practical training on sophisticated laboratory
instrumentation.
About 40,000
biotechnology students pass out every year from various colleges across the
country. However, the skills gap denies most of these graduates’ employment
opportunities at the 500 + biotech companies in India.
On an average,
300-500 hopefuls apply for every new biotechnology-related job vacancy but most
are rejected as they are just not industry ready.
Many Indian
biotech students, who can afford the fees, choose to go abroad for higher
studies, attracted by the possibilities of working in state-of-the-art labs and
the aspiration of working for leading biotech innovators.
Those without
the wherewithal for a foreign degree, typically apply for jobs in biotech and
pharma companies or universities and research institutes in India. However,
only a handful find the employment of their choice and most resign themselves
trapped in underpaid technical, marketing and administrative roles in unrelated
sectors like the BPO sector.
Another common
complaint of new recruits is unattractive starting salaries compared to the IT
sector. This is on account of the
investment that Biotech companies need to make to train them before they are
job-ready.
Biocon unveils biotech education initiative
To increase
their chances of employability, biotech graduates in India need to be trained
effectively to make them industry ready where they can partake in the journey
of transforming India through the power of biotechnology. Moreover, we simply have to expand the talent
pool if India’s Biotech sector has to grow and compete globally.
It is with this
objective in mind, that Biocon has spearheaded an initiative that will provide
the biotech industry the best professionals with the right orientation and
training.
We have set up
the Biocon Academy, as a one-of-its-kind Centre of Excellence for Advanced
Learning in Applied Bio-Sciences.
By
collaborating with leading academic institutions globally, the Biocon Academy
aims to bring world class training programs for biotech students in India and
thus develop a new cadre of life sciences professionals with specialized
skills.
Biocon Academy has
decided to partner with Keck Graduate Institute, California, in this important
endeavour.
KGI is uniquely
qualified, through its outstanding faculty and its state-of-the-art
infrastructure that includes the Amgen Bioprocessing Center, to help us with this
endeavor.
As a premier
technical institute, KGI’s training and education programs have built a very
strong capability for the US Biopharma sector.
Through this partnership that we hope to emulate the success of the KGI
learning model in India and build a robust Biotech sector.
A brand new start
The ‘Biocon KGI
Certificate Program in Biosciences’, our flagship program in collaboration with
the KGI, kicks off on Jan. 10. It will
provide a multidisciplinary best-in-class 16-week program in biosciences that
will equip graduates and post-graduates with the skills needed to make them
employable in the biotech sector.
With a
broad-based curriculum encompassing R&D, Production as per GMP, Quality
Assurance, Regulatory, Product Development and Professional skills, these
programs are aimed at addressing the skill deficit of the Indian biotech
sector.
Biotechnology
can be a powerful tool in addressing the country’s challenges of meeting the
food, education and healthcare needs of millions. It can play a very positive
role in enhancing the quality of life of the people.
If India is to
emerge as a Bio-Economy by 2025, the development of industry-ready human
capital for the biotech industry is of vital importance. Biocon Academy hopes
to make a significant contribution to this ambitious goal.
by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson & MD, Biocon
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