The Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE), the apex body of the biotech sector in India and US-based Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi for broad ranging co-operation in the field of biotechnology to support breakthrough discoveries in healthcare, agriculture and clean energy in the country.
According to this MoU, both ABLE and WBBA will undertake activities to further their respective mandates by providing each others’ members opportunities to co-operate and invest in the State of Washington and in India in the field of biotech. These activities could be the current ones that both associations are engaged in or future ones that both may decide to do individually or jointly. Among others, the activities could be concerned with technical knowledge, market research, inputs for policy making, internships, exhibitions, workshops, seminars, capacity building, collaborations, Investment and business partnering.
Speaking on this occasion, Dr PM Murali, President, ABLE said, “We are pleased to partner with WBBA to support and provide each other with cutting edge research in biotech. The collaboration aims to achieve breakthrough discoveries to provide affordable solutions for critical diseases, important challenges in agriculture and energy on mutually agreed topics.”
Chris Rivera, President, WBBA said, “We see India as the growth engine of tomorrow and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This collaboration with ABLE in India is significant to WBBA to facilitate best of research in biotechnology from both the countries.”
Chris Gregoire, Governor of Washington State, who was present for signing this MoU said that, “Washington State has always promoted technology innovation and biotech has been one of our areas of focus for research and development. This exciting partnership will spur progress in this sector in India and Washington, growing jobs in both regions. We know that this collaboration, over time, will pay dividends in improved public health and economic development.”
This partnership will enable both WBBA and ABLE to recognise each other as the preferred knowledge partner for the biotechn industry. This will encourage individual industry member representatives or industry organisations wishing to consider investing or doing business in the State of Washington or India to come through ABLE /WBBA so that the views can be harmonised and vetted by WBBA /ABLE experts. This would enable a more efficient and effective mechanism of interaction between WBBA/ABLE and the private biotech industry in India and in the State of Washington.
Both associations will provide inputs on various issues related to the healthcare, food, agriculture, bio-energy, clean-tech and nutritional field and facilitate opportunities in research, technologies, drug development, education, human resources, manufacturing, marketing, services, business, trade, capacity building and so on through several pre-planned activities.
EP News Bureau