Technology-led innovation has the ability to completely transform the way current industries operate. Globally, many countries have embraced technology to boost their economy. Focusing on industry 4.0, there is a gradual shift towards automation in manufacturing through the Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-Physical Systems, Cloud Computing, Embedded Systems etc. India, on the path to become the leader in technology through innovation needs key stakeholder’s empowerment in their understanding & skill development to translate technology into marketable products. Forecasting this potential, the Department of Science and Technology created 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) across the country to support national initiatives in key areas of Cyber-Physical Systems.
BITS BioCyTiH Foundation is one of the 25 TIHs and supports novel technology development, entrepreneurship development, infrastructure & skill development in the Bio-CPS arena. For increasing cognizance about Bio-CPS and engage audiences from various backgrounds, a workshop on “Pathways to Translation” was organized by the Foundation to understand the nuances of the entrepreneurial journey, challenges, and opportunities for translating ideas from academia to industry.
The workshop was organized on 30th November 2022 through hybrid mode at BITS Pilani, KK Birla Goa campus. More than 130 participants including startups, researchers, scientists, professors and students from across the country attended the workshop.
The inaugural session was graced by the esteemed presence of Prof Souvik Bhattacharyya, Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani; Prof Suman Kundu, Director, BITS Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus; Prof Sudhir Kumar Barai, Director, BITS Pilani Campus; Prof G Sundar, Director, BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus and Dr. Satya Dash, CEO, BITS BioCyTiH Foundation.
The speakers for the workshop were two stalwarts from the health tech industry- Prof Vijay Chandru, Co-founder & Director, Strand Life Sciences, and Dr. Chandrasekhar Nair, Co-founder & Director, MolBio and Bigtec.
Prof Vijay Chandru gave an astonishing talk on “Data Science, Precision Medicine & New Frontiers for Healthcare Solutions” where he spoke about his journey from research to building Strand Life Sciences. This was followed by an incredible talk by Dr. Chandrasekhar Nair on “Building & Scaling the Molecular Diagnostics in India: The MolBio journey”. He talked about his journey which was full of learnings from becoming an aspiring entrepreneur to the co-founder & director of a unicorn in the Indian MedTech space.
This was followed by an exhilarating fireside chat with the guest speakers on nuances of translation. Later, an interaction and networking session was held to discuss the salient features of translation where the guest speakers interacted with the Ph.D. students, faculty, and researchers from across the three campuses.
The workshop highlighted the importance of a scientific base for translation and emphasized the learnings from startups for building an ecosystem. It also touched upon the journey of product from prototype to final product, the importance of design, challenges in manufacturing, and patent application. It stressed on co-innovation and industry consortium, and guidance from other industrialists for translation and perfectly addressed & aligned the challenges and opportunities faced during translation during its journey from idea to market.