State partners with global leader Flanders for promotion of life sciences industry
HYDERABAD: The state government is partnering with Flanders, which houses Belgium’s life sciences industry, in its bid to explore multiple opportunities in the life sciences sector with thrust on vaccines and mRNA technological platforms, immunotherapy, life sciences university partnership and cluster-to-cluster collaborations, with particular reference to VIB and Genome Valley.
The Flanders’ life sciences industry is said to host over 350 companies that employ around two lakh people, including indirectly and had attracted more than a quarter of the global investment of Euros 5.2 billion in 2022. The total estimated life sciences business in Belgium is estimated to be around $44 billion.
Announcing the partnership with Flanders Investment and Trade, minister K.T. Rama Rao said, “A region equally strong in innovation, growth, and R&D, Flanders’ partnership with Telangana will boost both parties to share life sciences industry’s latest developments. The industry landscape of Flanders and Telangana is very similar with focus on life sciences (more specifically vaccines), technology and engineering.”
“This partnership will allow us to explore Flanders' robust technology landscape and the sectoral strengths it possesses to provide an ideal environment for industries in both regions,” Rama Rao said.
Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary (industries & commerce), said, “This partnership will help leverage multiple synergies between the two regions. Telangana-based companies will be able to get access to the potential business opportunities, R&D facilities and the high-quality know-how of Flanders-based organisations. This will play a significant role in the faster growth of both regions. Their participation in BioAsia 2023 is bound to lead to many more collaborations.”
Jayant Nadiger, Flanders’ trade & investment commissioner for South India, said Flanders' life sciences ecosystem was diverse and ranged from young start-ups to established local firms and multinationals. “It is also characterised by the fertile cross-pollination between biotech, medtech, pharmaceuticals and healthcare,” he said.
Stating that BioAsia 2023 would attract the participation of global leaders, Shakthi Nagappan, CEO, BioAsia, said, “Having Flanders as an international regional partner will help in connecting businesses through platforms like BioAsia. This partnership is a testimony of two regions with similar ecosystems coming together, increasing connectivity and paving a path for a tomorrow that is driven by robust research, innovation and excellence.”
