Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said the state aims to be the bio-economic powerhouse of the world and announced that the Bio-Innovation Centre in the city will soon be operational.
"Karnataka is perhaps the only state which is taking innovative initiatives in supporting the development of Biotechnology. Bengaluru is fortunate enough to have the highest density of Biotech companies in the country," he said.
Speaking after inaugurating the 15th edition of the "Bangalore India Bio 2015" here, he said the state is home to about 52 per cent of the core Biotech companies in the country. Out of the top 10 Biotech Companies in India, five are located in Bengaluru.
About 26 per cent of the Biotech revenues of the country, particularly in terms of exports, are generated by the Biotech Industry in Karnataka, he added.
Siddaramaiah said the State promoted Bengaluru Bio-Innovation Centre will soon be operational, giving plenty of opportunities for innovative ideas to be commercialised and leading to blossoming of several start-ups in the fields of life sciences and pharmaceuticals.
He said the Centre would be incubation-cum-accelerator "because it is not just about taking an idea to proof of concept stage, but also, about how you convert an idea to a marketable product."
"This facility along with the Bio-venture fund being setup by the State Government will give a big boost to the Biotech sector," he added.
Synthetic Biology is an emerging field that combines the knowledge of biology and engineering, he said, adding "By using engineering principles, synthetic biology aims at designing or redesigning and construct new or existing biological parts, devices and systems for useful purposes."
Siddaramaiah said compared to developed nations, synthetic biology in India is at a nascent stage and the central government appears to be supportive of promoting synthetic biology in the country.
"Here too, Government of Karnataka has taken lead by proposing a Centre for Bio Molecular Engineering in Bengaluru.""
"We have the requisite capabilities in academia, industry and entrepreneurship for the proposed centre. I hope the government of India gives its clearance for this project at the earliest. Karnataka aims to be the Bio-Economic powerhouse of the world," he added.
The three-day Bangalore India Bio 2015 is being jointly organised by the Department of Information Technology, Bio Technology and Science & Technology along with Vision Group on Biotechnology headed by Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
The focal theme of the summit this year is 'Crystallizing India's Biotech Future' which is expected to be attended by 110 impact speakers, 3000 Business Visitors and over 15 International delegations.
Stating that the Vision Group on Biotechnology is in the process of finalising its inputs for revising the Biotech Policy, the Chief Minister said "I am sure that the Vision Group will focus on maternal and child health, malnutrition, poor sanitation, agriculture, bio-fuels and such other issues that require the attention of the Government."