Mumbai, Sep 9, 2010: Shara Batliboi, currently pursuing an MBA program at the SIES College of Management Studies, Mumbai, was selected among the top three students at the Novartis International Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) recently concluded in Basel, Switzerland. Other two individual toppers were Gernot Guderian, University of Basel, Switzerland and Yasuko Nakasaki, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan. Students were evaluated by a jury on their contribution, performance, leadership and teamwork.

The program, now in its seventh year, selects Master, PhD and postdoctoral students in science and business, helping inspire the next generation of research talent The event brings 60 top university students selected from among 300 plus universities and 1000 plus students from 24 countries to Basel headquarters, a key Novartis research and development center.

Dr Maulek Desai of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad was a member of the winning team comprising participants from South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Finland, Germany and Pakistan. Prabakar Sampath of FMS, Delhi, Dr Desai and Shara Batliboi went through a rigorous selection process to represent India at the global BioCamp. They competed with 45 other students who were selected from applicants drawn from 85+ leading universities all across India.

“Novartis BioCamp creates a platform for young talent to directly experience what it takes to bring new therapies from the lab to patients,” explained Ranjit Shahani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Novartis India. “It’s encouraging to see two students from India win accolades. I am sure this will increase the visibility for BioCamp and will result in greater participation thereby generating new ideas around scientific innovation and improving patient outcomes.”

During the program, International BioCamp participants interacted with key Novartis scientists who lead the Novartis approach to drug discovery, exchanging thoughts on advancing innovation. Students participated in high-level workshops and learned about breakthrough new medicines to address patients’ unmet medical needs. Additionally, they received first-hand experience about starting and running a biotech company from entrepreneurs in the industry, helping them better understand trends and challenges in the biotechnology sector. BioCamp also provided students with the opportunity to explore career prospects in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries

Workshops and presentations were led by industry experts including Joseph Jimenez, Novartis CEO; Ann Fudge, Member of the Novartis Board of Directors; Dr Dhavalkumar D Patel, Head of NIBR Europe; Dr Rino Rappuoli, Global Head of Research for Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics; Dr Romeo Paioni, Head of Novartis Scientific and External Affairs, Novartis Pharma; Prof Susan Gasser, Director of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research; Prof Francis Waldvogel, Chairman of the Novartis Venture Fund, as well as Dragan Grabulovski, Chief Science Officer of Covagen.

First started seven years ago in Taiwan, BioCamp has developed into an international forum for science and business students from around the world to learn, exchange ideas and work together in a highly competitive business environment. Previously hosted in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Cambridge, Massachusetts, this year’s seminar marked the first time the International BioCamp was hosted at the state-of-the-art Novartis global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.

This year, participants for International BioCamp were chosen through an application process in 14 countries as well as through 10 local and regional BioCamp programs run in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.