Students at the graduating ceremony
Delivering the keynote address at the event, Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chief mentor, Biocon Academy said, "Biocon Academy is the realization of my dream to enable and energize the younger generation to pursue a career in biotechnology, a field with the potential to bring transformative change."
She further added, "The graduation of the first batch of the Biocon-KGI program sets the benchmark for a very valuable and impactful partnership. It is a partnership between two organizations committed to the 'Business of Science', a partnership between academia and industry, a partnership between the faculty and students and finally, the coming together of the entire biotech sector to give young minds the opportunity to partake in the journey of transforming India through the power of biotechnology. I encourage all the students to passionately pursue their dream and make a difference in their chosen area of biosciences."
The 16 week full-time intensive program comprised of hands-on professional training in areas like molecular biotechnology, biopharma quality assurance and control, CMC regulations, pharmaceutical development, mammalian cell biotechnology, and professional skills development.
Students including Shruti Rao, Poonam Mathur and Deepthi Ashok Kumar were awarded Gold Medals for Academic Excellence.
And, 12 students were given 'Kudos Awards' for their notable performance during the program.
Dr Shelly Schuster, president, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), USA, said, "It is indeed a proud day for the 30 pioneer students who are completing the inaugural session of the Biocon Academy-KGI certificate program. Their learning from this innovative certificate program was deep and the growth and increase in professionalism was profound. These business-trained science graduates are now ready to better serve the global lifesciences industry through their knowledge, talents and passion."
According to Biocon's press release, all of its students from the first batch have been successfully placed.
Admissions for the second batch are open until June 9, 2014. The classes for the second batch will commence on June 19, 2014.
The Biocon Academy was set up in November 2013, encouraging advanced learning in applied biosciences.
