BT park set to become a reality

BT park set to become a reality
Vijay Times

Bangalore: After surmounting several obstacles, the State government has at last set the ball rolling for its ambitious biotechnology (BT) park at the Electronic City on Hosur road.

The process of inviting tenders for works on the sprawling 104-acre land has been completed and the agency to execute the project will be selected in a few days.

IT and BT secretary M K Shankaralinge Gowda told Vijay Times that in the first phase will begin soon, two world class academic centres Institute of Bio-informatics and BT (IBAB) and Centre for Human Genetics (CHG) will be opened. While IBAB is a joint venture between the State government and ICICI, CHG is wholly government-owned.

The park will consist of a research and development (R&D) cluster with common laboratory facility , pharma-bio, agri-bio, medicinal plant facilities and other BT related centres. The government has engaged Hydec, a consultancy firm to prepare and submit a feasibility report on the second phase of the BT park.

Bangalore provides the best climate for a BT park as it already has a national cen for biological sciences, University of Agriculture Sciences, Institute of bio-informatics and applied sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Indian Institute of Sciences. In addition, Karnataka has 114 medical and para-medical colleges, said Gowda.

Some of the major BT exporters in Karnataka are Biocon, Sami Labs, Sartorius, Aurigene discoveries, Astra Zeneca India, Strand Genomics, Metahelix, A vesthagen Gangregine, Novozymes, Sigma Aldrich and MWG India.

There are over 130 BT companies in the State and generate more than 20,000 jobs.

T endering process completed
Two academic centres on anvil
B lore provides best climate for BT industry
It won t be long before BT catches up with IT
Over 130 BT firms in State creating 20,000 jobs
Park will consist of R&D cluster
Exports went up from Rs 106 crore to Rs 2,200 cr in six years
Investments increased from Rs 145 cr to Rs 1,845 cr