Twelve bio entrepreneurs emerge victorious at NBEC 2019

The National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC) 2019 saw twelve winners, in categories like water and sanitation, medical devices, maternal and child health, digital health, and agri-biotechnology.

The event was organised by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), an initiative of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology. C-Camp is an all-India platform where bio-entrepreneurs from all over the country can present their innovative ventures, ideas,and propositions, in the fields of Life Sciences and biotech.

A total cash prize of Rs 3 crore,along with investment opportunities, was awarded to the winners, who would also be able to receive mentorship from leading industry personalities, according to a press statement by C-CAMP.

CMD of Biocon,Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the chief guest and grand jury member for the event, said that the key to leveraging the potential and impact of these ideas, they would need to be scaled up rapidly.

“I have deep gratitude to C-CAMP for having brought a platform as unique as NBEC to Indian bio entrepreneurship arena. NBEC is about celebrating new ideas and the potential impact these ideas can make to society. But an entrepreneurship is about how you monetise an idea and take it to market. So don’t wait for the perfect idea. Wait for that one good idea. Shape its commercialisation journey and scale it up. Because impact and true recognition lie only in scaling,” she said.

Department of Biotechnology secretary, Renu Swarup, said, “NBEC 2019 has witnessed 3000 applications, a number rising every year, clearly indicative of a maturing ecosystem. The purpose of this competition is to attract innovators, potential entrepreneurs who have in them a risk-taking appetite to try and convert an innovative idea to an impactful entrepreneurship venture. The fact that applications have been received from places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Daman and Diu show that we have been able to enthuse young researchers and innovators across India.”