(Washington, D.C.) The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has announced the program for the BIO India International Partnering Conference.  The two-day annual partnering meeting will be held September 21-22 at the Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre in Hyderabad, India.

In addition to the four scheduled sessions, the conference program also includes a full schedule of company presentations, dedicated BIO One-on-One Partnering timeslots, a welcome reception and numerous other networking opportunities.

Session topics and speakers include:

Keynote Luncheon
Speakers include:

• M.K. Bhan, MBBS, MD, Secretary, Dept of Biotechnology, Govt of India
• Jeremy Levin, MD, PhD, Sr VP, Strategic Transactions Group, Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Ltd. 

Plenary Session: Unique Deal Structures
This panel will showcase deal structures developed between US/European and Indian companies; panelists will share stories to help prepare new entities considering partnerships with Indian companies.

Moderators:     Karen Bernstein, PhD, Editor-in-Chief and David Flores, President and CEO, BioCentury

Panelists:     David Nicholson, PhD, Sr VP and Head, Worldwide Licensing and Knowledge Management, Merck & Co.;  Sri Mosur, President and CEO, Jubilant Biosys Ltd.;
                   Rashmi Barbhaiya, MD, CEO and Managing Director, Advinus Therapeutics Pvt Ltd; Achin Gupta, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Glenmark
                   Pharmaceuticals

Plenary Luncheon: IP and Tech Transfer in India
A discussion of India’s proposed Utilization of Public Funded Intellectual Property Bill and its implication for translating research into cutting edge products. The panel will review the provisions of the bill and discuss how it will affect foreign investment, partnership opportunities in India and innovative product development, as well as its impact on the biotechnology industry in India. 

Opening Remarks: Samir K. Brahmachari, PhD, Director, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

Moderator: Thomas Moga, Shook, Hardy and Bacon LLP

Panelists:    Pravin Anand, Managing Partner, Anand and Anand; S.R. Rao, Director, Dept of Biotechnology, Govt of India; Arundeep Pradham, Associate VP, Tech
                 Transfer and Business Development, Oregon State University

Closing Plenary Session: Financing of Innovation in India
India is quickly emerging as an innovative hub for performing and investing in R&D. This panel will explore recent case studies and novel approaches to the funding of innovation in this emerging market.

Moderator:    Jasmin Patel, PhD, Managing Director, FIL Capital Advisors

Panelists:    Gerhard Klement, Director, Head of Pharma Solutions, Piramal Healthcare; Hitesh Sharma, Partner and Leader, Life Science Practice, Ernst & Young; Sunny
                  Sharma, MD, Senior Managing Director, OrbiMed Advisors, LLC; KV Subramanian, CFA, President and CEO, Reliance Life Sciences.

The BIO India International Partnering Conference will bring together biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from the US, Europe and Asia to explore potential partnerships and collaborations. Private one-on-one meetings between investors, large biotech and pharmaceutical companies and emerging Indian biotech companies will be arranged through the One-On-One Partnering system.

BIO brings to India more than ten years of experience and expertise in biotech and pharmaceutical partnering. BIO is renowned for its successful partnering meetings in the U.S., Japan and Germany, including the biotech world’s largest partnering event, the Business Forum, at the BIO International Convention. ABLE, BIO’s partner in India, brings to the meeting extensive local expertise and its comprehensive network of Indian and Asian biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

For program and registration information, please visit http://bioindia.bio.org.

About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.

About ABLE
Association of Biotechnology led Enterprises (ABLE) is a national forum that represents the Indian biotechnology sector.  ABLE was launched by leaders in the biotech industry and has over 200 members from various verticals in the biotech sector. ABLE’s objectives are to promote entrepreneurship, investments and partnerships in the biotech sector, working with the government in their biotech initiatives and disseminating information on the biotech sector.