Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Aragen Life Sciences and Kewaunee Labway India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding  (MoU) for conducting a skill development programme focused on developing skills in Advanced Synthetic Organic Chemistry and pertinent Analytical Chemistry fields.

It is a Finishing School programme enabling hands-on training to postgraduate students in chemistry to make them industry-ready by the end of their curriculum. The training will be offered by the scientists of CSIR-IICT in association with teaching assistance from Aragen at CSIR-IICT campus in Hyderabad.

The MoU was signed by Dr D. Srinivasa Reddy, Director, CSIR-IICT, Manni Kantipudi, Chief Executive Officer, Aragen Life Sciences, and Sathyamurthy, Managing Director, Kewaunee Labway India in the presence of Union Minister of Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh.

India has historically been a major hub for chemistry talent pool. It is estimated that in the past decade, there have been about 80% growth in demand for chemistry graduates and around 37% for post-graduates driven by the growth in key sectors such as pharma, biotech and other life sciences and allied industries.

With the continued focus on further boosting the life sciences and manufacturing sectors, demand for this talent pool is expected to pick momentum. This tripartite MoU will enable leveraging the power of public-private partnership in further boosting the chemistry talent pool in the country and will benefit both students and industry.