Bangalore: The flagship biotech event of the State of Karnataka, India - Bangalore India BIO, will be holding its 13th edition from February 4-6, 2013, at The Lalit Ashok in Bangalore, India. The three-day event, which is renowned for calibrating the pulse of the biotechnology industry, will bring together global leaders from the life sciences sector for a comprehensive overview of this rapidly changing industry.

A curtain raiser of the event was organized by the Department of Information Technology, Bio-Technology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, India; Vision Group on Biotechnology and MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications in Bangalore, to appraise the event details.
The event overview was given by Mr I S N Prasad, principal secretary to government, Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, India, in the presence of Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon and chairperson, Karnataka's Vision Group on Biotechnology.

The 13th edition of Bangalore India BIO will be inaugurated by Mr Jagadish Shettar, chief minister, Karnataka, India. The guests of honour for the event will include dignitaries like Mr Mark Lytle, division director, Georgia Centers of Innovation; Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia, US; Ms Anne MacColl, CEO, Scottish Development International (SDI), Scotland; and Prof K VijayRaghavan, secretary, Department of Biotechnology, India; and Mr S V Rangnath, chief secretary, Karnataka, India.

Three industry reports will be released at the event, including, a report on "Indian Biotechnology: The roadmap to the next decade and beyond' by ABLE; a report on 'Opportunities for fermentation industry and biotechnology' by ABLE; and a report on "Funding your science idea" by Atharva Life Sciences Consulting.

The event is expected to witness a gathering of over 800 delegates from India and abroad and more than 100 exhibitors from the industry, research organizations and academia. The event will feature a multi-track conference with stimulating plenaries, lively panel discussions, inspiring workshops, international tradeshow and poster exhibition, and bio excellence awards.

Bangalore India BIO will have a large participation of international delegations from over 20 countries including Scotland, US (Georgia), Canada (Alberta) and Australia (Victoria) and also from Atlanta and Missouri from the US, Germany, UAE, France, UK, Mexico, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and other European and South East Asian countries. SDI led by Ms MacColl and Department of Economic Development, Georgia, US led by Mr Lytle will be signing an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Services (KBITS), thus paving the way for better knowledge exchange and trade relations between the two nations.

The conference will include focused tracks on key topics like biosimilars, regenerative medicine, molecular biotechnology, bio-informatics, vaccines, and clinical research as well as partnering and deal making trends in biotechnology. The event serves as the perfect platform for exchange of knowledge, business and partnering. Several distinguished individuals are expected to speak at the event, including Professor Charles ffrench-Constant, director, Center of Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland; Professor Samir K Brahmachari, DG, CSIR, India; and Professor David Koelle, Global Health and Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, among others. Furthermore, the agri and industrial biotechnology track will have plenary session on agri-biotechnology. It will focus on India's second green revolution, biofuels and bioremediation, among many other topics.

The CEO conclave at the event will focuss on the theme "Can India become a 100 Billion Dollar Biotech Hub by 2025 ". The conclave will feature the leaders of various eminent firms, including Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon; Dr Vijay Chandru, CEO, Strand Life Sciences; Mr. Shrikumar Suryanarayan, chairman, Sea6 Energy; Dr Sudhir Nambiar, MD, AstraZeneca India; Mr. Anil Raghavan, MD, Quintiles India; Ms Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, CEO, IKP Knowledge Park; and Dr Ajith V Kamath, head, strategic research partnerships-India, worldwide R&D, Pfizer.

Bangalore India BIO 2013 will also conduct a workshop on 'Bio-preneurship: Journeys, learnings and policy implications in the Indian context" by NSRCL- IIM Bangalore. The event will also give away Bio Excellence Awards, recognizing the contribution of eminent personalities from established and start-up companies in the sector of life sciences. The event will also help in leveraging new partnership opportunities for the participating organisations through the Bio Partnering tool - InterlinX. The conference will also hold a poster session, showcasing the innovative work done by young researchers and scientists from industry, research institutions and academia.

Another important highlight of the event is the Grand Finale of 'BioQuiz 2013'- the largest State level Biotech Quiz with over 800 students participating. The best teams from regional rounds conducted at districts like Mysore, Mangalore, Belgaum and Bangalore would compete for the title at Grand finale of BIO Quiz 2013 and the winners will be felicitated by Former Team India cricketer Anil Kumble, who will be the guest of honour at the programme.