In what could be India's first, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) has launched a 10-month course on innovative enterprises in the life sciences sector to create ‘biopreneurs'.
The course, being supported by Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM) and Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC), will begin in May this year, EDI said here today.
Those completing the course and setting up their enterprises will come to be known as ‘biopreneurs'.
Explaining the concept, Dr Dinesh Awasthi, Director of EDI, said the course is aimed at creating the ecosystem required for setting up high knowledge enterprises in life sciences. The programme is a mind-to-market project and will trigger setting up of technology units in large numbers.”
The course will be conducted in three phases spread over 320 hours, during which participants will learn to identify opportunities, link technology with business plan and get empowered to execute projects.
Of the total, 100 hours will be spent in class room and the balance 220 hours for mentoring and handholding.
The course is open to those who are or wish to become entrepreneurs and have experience of working with a local technical institute, medical representatives, scientists or technicians from large-scale pharmaceutical companies, owners of SMEs, start-ups, and masters in science, pharmaceuticals and bio-technology, besides PhDs.
Mr A. K. Saxena, Mission Director at the Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission, said the programme is expected to result in the setting up of around 20 units in the area of bio-technology.