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Biotech Park, Lucknow
By:
Prof. P.K.Seth*
A frontier of Science, Biotechnology, offers enormous possibilities of its use
as a premium precision tool for the welfare of society and creation of wealth
for sustainable commercial and socio- economic development. The Department of
Biotechnology, Government of India and several state governments have set up
Biotech parks to support the growth of biotech industries by providing common
shared facilities, ready to use laboratories and other infrastructures. There
are different models of the Biotech Park depending upon the resources, needs
and priorities. The parks have been set up by state governments in partnership
with industries, totally by industries or partnership between Central and State
governments. DBT in most cases has provided funds for setting up technology
incubators in parks.
Biotechnology has become a household name in the state of Uttar Pradesh, with
the declaration of Lucknow as “Biotechnology City” on January 03, 2002 during 89th
Annual Session of the Indian Science Congress held at Lucknow.
Biotech Park set up by the Department of Biotechnology Govt. of India &
Department of Science and Technology, Government of Uttar Pradesh, brings an
enabling environment for upcoming entrepreneurs to set up their R& D units in
Park. It serves as the nucleus for promotion and growth of biotech industry in
the state and partnership with the centers of excellence of the city.
The Park plays an important role in the initial establishment of the startup
companies by providing information about possible business avenues; facilities
and incentives available under the Government of India and State Government
biotech policies, availability of special grants, schemes and loans as well as
information about requirements for registration and obtaining IPR. It also
provides state-of-art plant tissue culture and biofertilizer facilities which it
operates in public private partnerships. It has high capacity solvent extraction
plant for obtaining phytochemicals and lead molecules from high value medicinal
plants and their purification; molecular biology and analytical quality control
laboratories and other common support facilities like bioinformatics, conference
hall, cafeteria, effluent treatment plant, storage, etc. The Park also extends
expertise to its incubates from scientists of Local CSIR and ICAR institutions
apart from other institutions, universities and par excellence centers of
learning in the town and not far away from the famous Indian Institute of
technology at Kanpur.
The focus of the Park is on challenges and opportunities surrounding the current
biotechnology issues related to technology development which would ultimately
result in the development of the State and generate rural employment and social
upliftment.
The park has leased out space to 18 carefully selected entrepreneurs which has
led to creation of number of new jobs. The Biotech Park’s incubator II building
has become functional and three companies have leased out space to set up their
R&D laboratories. Besides the wet lab space, the incubator II has multipurpose
meeting rooms / conference hall to accommodate 300 – 325 persons, offices and
other related facilities.
The entrepreneurs at Biotech Park are going to pursue innovative research and
produce innovative products. In the Bio- pharma Sector, ABC Genomics,
technically supported by a US based company, is developing a hand held
microarry for detection of pathogens and a WHO GMP compliant facility for R&D
and production of Liposome based delivery fungi, a drug for kalazar treatment,
and R&D center for diagnostics are coming up at the Park.
The Park through its Plant tissue culture facility reduced the price of banana
plantlets by about 30% leading to increase in banana cultivation in the State.
The Park has made substantial contributions to the National Mission on
Bio-fuels by developing four high yielding and oil rich varieties of Jatropha
curcas and providing technical know-how for development of good nurseries
and quality planting material. The Park is providing consultation to the
companies in the field of bio-fuel and necessary technical guidance, planting
material and monitoring of the plants and is helping Department of Rural
Development in Jatropha plantation in 1000 hectares and has also helped farmers
to set up 10 nurseries.
Biotech Park has the Quality Management System Certificate ISO 9001:2008/ISO
14001:200 Certificate jointly accredited by System of Australia and New Zealand.
The Tissue Culture facility at the Biotech Park has been recognized under
national certification of Tissue Culture raised plants (TCS- TCP) by the
accreditation panel from BCIL.
More than 5000 students from about 40 schools / colleges and more than 1800
farmers visited the Park. The Park is playing an important role in generating
the much needed human resource. It imparts training to young students and
farmers from remote areas the park is actively involved in organizing the
awareness program for farmers and stake holders. Recently Biotech Park has
started a finishing school for the graduates and post graduates with the
objective to make students employable in Biotech Industry by imparting
additional skills through hands on exposure.
The park has changed the paradigm of how science, biotechnology and
entrepreneurship can be clubbed for the benefit of stakeholders and the society.
The Biotechnology Park, Lucknow has also been a trend-setter since it became
fully functional in a span of three years from inception to maturity. It is a
showcase of innovation industries and a model of active collaboration between
industries, research institutes and academia.
Besides holding hands of the start up companies, the Biotech Park has motivated
local scientists to venture into Biotechnology. The
setting up of Biotech Park has made Lucknow a new hub of biotechnology in North
India and Biotech Park is a happening address in the city.
*Chief Executive
Officer, Biotech Park, Lucknow-India, <[email protected]> |
