Faridabad-based Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) successfully hosted the second edition of its annual industry business meet, SYNCHN 2025, at its campus on 14 July.
The event convened a distinguished gathering of industry representatives, funders, and policymakers from diverse domains, all united by a shared vision for accelerating India's leadership in health innovation.
SYNCHN 2025 served as a critical platform for fostering collaborative ecosystems, emphasising the urgent need for multidisciplinary, large-scale projects.
Prof Ganesan Karthikeyan, Executive Director, THSTI, set the tone for SYNCHN 2025, focusing on actionable partnerships and strategic growth. He highlighted the need to focus on large projects that are multidisciplinary and said that collaborative ecosystems spanning academic institutions and industry areimportant and that THSTI is working towards providing this ecosystem.
A key segment, "Insights into Translational Science" session, showcased ongoing industry collaborations with THSTI. Dr Prabuddha Kundu of Premas Biotech expressed commitment to India's vaccine leadership. Dr Sivakumar Natarajan of Miltenyi Biotec discussed bridging the talent gap in Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) through specialised training. Dr Khalid of Panacea Biotec highlighted multi-level collaboration on vaccine candidates for 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. Dr Varun Sureja of Sundyota Numandis Pharmaceuticals noted impactful collaborations, including rapid technology transfer from THSTI and indigenous microbiome commercialization.
The "Expanding Capacities" session focused on THSTI's Medical Research Centre (MRC), the upcoming Translational Research Facility (TRF), designed to streamline medical product development from bench to biomanufacturing, state of the art facilities of the cluster and the proposed Biopark at the NCR Biotech Science Cluster. The session concluded with a call to co-create a model where India not only develops for India but also innovates for the world.
The event also featured a dynamic panel on "Challenges and Opportunities in Industry–Academia Collaboration," where industry leaders exchanged insights with a specific focus on product commercialisation, pricing, and institutional R&D.
During his special address, Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Director General, Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC), noted India's role as a global hub for affordable vaccines and generics. He urged industry to fund innovations for 'Viksit Bharat', emphasising the need to develop sustainable solutions, unlock best-practice policies, and untangle agro-industrial complexities for positive and inclusive economic outcomes.
