Mumbai, Aug, 2010:  India and Britain are leaving no stone unturned in cultivating  an “enhanced relationship” in matters of science and innovation. Newly anointed British Prime Minister, David Cameron, during his recent visit to India, wooed the Indian scientific community with the announcement of a £45 million ($71 million)-partnership between the UK charity organization, the Wellcome Trust and India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT), to support the development of new healthcare products in India. The agreement builds on the existing Wellcome Trust-DBT Alliance – a five-year, £80 million ($126 million)-initiative, which seeks to strengthen Indian biomedical sciences, through a series of fellowship programs. Other collaborations announced during the trip include a £4 million ($6 million)-R&D agreement between the medical research councils of both the countries. The DBT and the Wellcome Trust are each contributing £22.5 million ($35.5 million). 

The special nexus between India and the UK particularly in biotechnology, is not a recent phenomenon. In late 2009, three institutions from India and the UK –  UK's University of Nottingham, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur got together to sign a £1.5 million ($2.3 million)  UK-India Science Bridge, Biopharm 2020.  This  bridge would be a catalyst to provide incentives to scientists for research, moulding them towards commercializing their research benefits. Dr Jennifer Townsend, Business Development Executive, University of Nottingham, in an exclusive interview to BioSpectrum, said “The science bridge  will focus primarily on translational research, developing novel molecules and focusing on segments like stem cell and cancer.” The three-year grant has been funded by The Research Councils, UK (RCUK); and Department of Science and Technology (DST), India. Four projects are already on,  some of which  include cancer biomakers, biomakers for Alzheimer's besides a project in drug delivery technology. Four more are scheduled to start   in 2010.

As part of the same collaboration, the team has come up with a ‘BioPharm 2020: UK-India Biotechnology Business Challenge’,  where scientists will have the opportunity to win funding to build healthcare or pharmaceutical businesses, from their ideas, in a new international business plan competition.  The winner of the Best UK Entrant Award will receive a package of benefits worth over £40,000 ($63,200) to assist them in starting up a new company, including a £20,000  ($31,600) cash award for early start-up costs; while the Best India Entrant Award will provide a package of benefits worth over Rs 15 lakhs ($32,200), to assist in starting up a new company, including Rs 5 lakhs ($10,700) cash award for early start-up costs, two years’ incubation facilities at SIDBI-Innovation & Innovation Centre (SIIC) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.