An Education Program That Makes You Industry Ready

The Biocon-KGI program is a one-of-a-kind training program and a very valuable opportunity for students in India. The program includes virtual online classroom sessions and afternoon practical sessions that complement the coursework arranged at companies such as Biocon and other institutes. It’s a significant step towards ‘experiential learning’, a model we follow at Keck Graduate Institute. The students immediately apply what they learn in the classroom to their afternoon practical sessions and to classroom projects.   

When I interview the students to admit them into the Biocon-KGI program, they typically are not aware of the workings of the industry. Also they want to know if what they have learned in college will be useful in the industry and how they can apply their knowledge. In just 4 months, the students learn the workings of the entire process from R & D to getting a drug to market. This program trains them in areas of Regulatory Affairs, Quality and Production most of which are new to students but very essential to be ‘industry-ready’.

I think the Biocon Academy students will prove to be a different breed of leaders in the Indian Life Sciences industry. It has been a great experience teaching in the program. The classes include team projects and presentations in addition to exams, quizzes and reports and the students really enjoy working in teams on the projects and then presenting them in class. In addition to the technical content, they learn to manage the dynamics of working on a team and many other soft skills which will prove essential for their career.  

- Written by Meghana Joshi, Program Director, KGI

Setting Sail for a Journey of the BioWorld

We may all be from different walks of life, from different places and speak different languages, but what binds us together is not just four months of intensive training and comprehensive learning, but something more, something that we all, at Biocon Academy feel within ourselves, which is, the spirit of adventure, the thirst for trying out something new, walking down an untrodden path, being the ‘pioneers’ - the first of our kind.

Biotech Education in India Needs a Booster Dose

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.