Novartis BioCamp!

Mumbai, Mangalore Students Excel; among Top three at Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp); to represent India at International BioCamp in Basle, Switzerland  Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Friday, August 05, 2011 -- (Business Wire India) - Novartis India offers 48 students drawn from 100+ leading Indian universities hands-on experience with the multifaceted world of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology and direct contact with experts in the field. Three winning students to participate in the International Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp taking place at the Novartis Campus in Basle, Switzerland from August 29 to 31, 2011. Mumbai student Shradha Shrimal, an alumnus of S P Jain Institute of Management & Research took top honours along with Dr Nishan Mathias of Fr Muller Medical College, Mangalore and Dr Nithin Sashidharan of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal at the recently concluded Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) that took place in Hyderabad from August 1 - 3. The three participants were selected after an intense three-day program to represent India at the International BioCamp being held at the Novartis Campus in Basle, Switzerland from August 29 to 31, 2011. The inaugural address was delivered by Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman Biocon India Limited while the valedictory address was given by Mr G V Prasad, CEO, Dr Reddy Laboratories Limited. Both speakers spoke of using science to better society while keeping the patient at the centre and the life-changing role that participants could play through the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Other speakers included Prof G Chandrashekar, Director, L V Prasad Eye Institute, who spoke on the spoke on the pyramid model of eyecare delivery through a hub and spoke method; Mr Uday Khanna, Managing Director and CEO, Lafarge India addressed participants on The Value of Ethics while Dr Prabuddha Ganguli, CEO ?Vision IPR focused on Innovation, IPR & Access to Medicines. Dr Praveen Tyle, Senior VP and Global Head BD&L, OTC, Novartis Consumer Health spoke to students on the Drug Development process. Speaking on the occasion, Ranjit Shahani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Novartis India Limited said, ovartis is pleased to partner with academia in leveraging the skills of leaders of tomorrow. BioCamp provides a platform to students on the threshold of their careers to consider the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as career options. It is a rare opportunity for students to interact with leaders in the field and network with students coming from different faculties across the country.

About BioCamp The Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) has been held annually in Asian countries since 2004, starting in Taiwan as a local event. It has since grown impressively in to a global event. Last year International BioCamp was held in Cambridge, USA. Around 60 students from around the world are expected to participate in the global BioCamp being held at the Novartis Campus in Basle, Switzerland from August 29 to 31, 2011. BioCamp is a pioneering seminar organized by Novartis that brings young, talented students from diverse faculties and different universities closer to the field. It is open to postgraduate students and young researchers in science, pharmacology, medicine, biotechnology, business management (preference to students with a science background) or law (specialization in IPR) interested in pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry. Students go through a rigorous judging process before they are selected to participate in the country BioCamps. 48 students from diverse faculties including pharmacology, biotechnology, life sciences, finance, biomedical engineering, genetics, business management and immunology participated at the recently concluded India event. Institutes they came from included the Indian Institutes of Technology, Kanpur and Roorkee; Fr Muller Medical College, Mangalore; National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali and Hyderabad; International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi; Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi; Indian School of Business, Hyderabad; Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, School of Pharmacy and Technology Management, NMIMS, Mumbai and S P Jain Institute of Management Studies & Research among others.