Friday, August 29, 2003
Emerging biotech cluster in Hyderabad?
A couple of weeks back, Geoff Dyer and Khozem Mechant wrote in the Financial Times about the possible emergence of Hyderabad as a biotech cluster.
Hyderabad has the largest mass of scientific talent in India. There are some 40 laboratories, research centres and universities covering disciplines such as cellular and molecular biology and DNA fingerprinting. In the wings is the state-owned Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Company, the drug industry's de facto finishing school for many biochemist-entrepreneurs. As a young chemist at IDPC, Dr Anjai Reddy, founder of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, one of India's leading drugs makers, mastered the relationship between science and the markets by ignoring his employer's commercially inert ways.
The trend certainly suggests an emerging "cluster". Some 50,000 science students graduate each year and Hyderabad is home to a large and mature science community. This community now markets its ideas. The government has set up a "knowledge" park for pure research and an adjoining biotechnology park for manufacturing in Genome Valley, an ambitious 600 sq km site.
Bangalore had branded itself as Bio Bangalore sometime last year. As with IT, Hyderabad is now emerging as a threat to the nascent biotech industry in Bangalore as well. Competition between the two cities always bodes well for the country.
Unfortunately, the story is only available with a premium subscription to FT. If any of you want to read it the article in full, e-mail me and I'll send it to you.
Hyderabad has the largest mass of scientific talent in India. There are some 40 laboratories, research centres and universities covering disciplines such as cellular and molecular biology and DNA fingerprinting. In the wings is the state-owned Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Company, the drug industry's de facto finishing school for many biochemist-entrepreneurs. As a young chemist at IDPC, Dr Anjai Reddy, founder of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, one of India's leading drugs makers, mastered the relationship between science and the markets by ignoring his employer's commercially inert ways.
The trend certainly suggests an emerging "cluster". Some 50,000 science students graduate each year and Hyderabad is home to a large and mature science community. This community now markets its ideas. The government has set up a "knowledge" park for pure research and an adjoining biotechnology park for manufacturing in Genome Valley, an ambitious 600 sq km site.
Bangalore had branded itself as Bio Bangalore sometime last year. As with IT, Hyderabad is now emerging as a threat to the nascent biotech industry in Bangalore as well. Competition between the two cities always bodes well for the country.
Unfortunately, the story is only available with a premium subscription to FT. If any of you want to read it the article in full, e-mail me and I'll send it to you.
