Biocon Academy, a one-of-its-kind Centre of Excellence for Advanced Learning in Biosciences established by Biocon Ltd, announced today that all the students of the first batch have successfully completed the Biocon-KGI Certificate Programme in Biosciences.
The batch of 30 students underwent an intensive 16-week advanced learning program and hands-on professional training in diverse areas like molecular biotechnology, biopharma quality assurance and control, CMC regulations, pharmaceutical development, mammalian cell biotechnology, and professional skills development. The graduation ceremony held at Biocon Park in Bangalore was well attended by families of the students, faculty, industry experts and mentors.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, C
hief Mentor, Biocon Academy & Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon, expressed her delight at the quality of talent of this batch. She re-iterated her commitment towards developing industry ready, high end talent for the biopharma sector and collectively making the sector globally competitive.
Delivering the Keynote address at the Biocon Academy Certification ceremony, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw- Chief Mentor, Biocon Academy, said: “Biocon Academy is the realization of my drea
m to enable and energize the younger generation to pursue a career in biotechnology, a field with the potential to bring transformative change. The graduation of the first batch of the Biocon-KGI program today 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.”
She added, “I encourage all the students to passionately pursue their dream and make a difference in their chosen area of biosciences”. 
Dr. Shelly Schuster, President, Keck Graduate Institute, said,
“It is indeed a proud day today 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 life sciences industry through their knowledge, talents and passion.” Three women made it to the top.
Shruti Rao, Poonam Mathur and Deepthi AshokKumar were awarded with Gold Medals for Academic Excellence. 12 other students were given ‘Kudos Awards’ for their notable performance during the program.
Shruti Rao,
one of the Gold Medalists, said,
“I expected to get a thorough exposure on the overall functioning of the Biopharmacuetical Industry. The well-planned course curriculum, which included extensive modules on various topics, ensured that this expectation of mine was met. I believe the course has made me industry ready.” Expressing her delight on receiving the gold medal and two Kudos Awards,
Poonam Mathur said,
“I particularly liked the holistic approach of the course that is focused on enhancing Knowledge in biosciences, with practical industry exposure and developing professional management skills. We had functional visits thrice a week to institutions like SIT, IBAB and Biocon Research Centre which provided us hands-on experience of working in the labs and manufacturing facilities.” Deepthi AshokKumar, another Gold Medalist said, “As part of the course, lectures are conducted by Industry Experts and we are taught various problem-solving skills that find application in a real life situations. I want to lead a team in the long run, specifically in Process development. The Group activities designed during the program have honed my skills as a team player.” Leading biotech companies visited Biocon Academy Campus during the placements week, and found the students to be extremely good. The objective of this programme is to improve the employability quotient of the students, and this has been substantially achieved with the successful placement of all the students of the first batch. These students have been hired by various companies for different functions; such as Production, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Research & Development and Marketing.
The admissions for the second batch are still open until June 9, 2014. Classes for the second batch will commence on June 19
th, 2014.
Student Testimonials Yunoal D’Souza, a student from the first batch said,
“The program has three key components; Technical Course modules, a Professional skills module and an Industrial expert mentorship module. It was a great learning experience with the renowned KGI faculty, particularly interesting was the mentor-mentee program.” Ritu Bhardwaj, another student from the first batch said,
“I feel more confident and better equipped to work in a Biopharma company, having undergone this program. With one year of research experience post my MTech, I had decided to work in a Biopharma company and this course has imparted all the necessary knowledge and skills for this transformation. The program has truly bridged the gap between academics and industry.” About the Biocon KGI Certificate Program in Biosciences: This 16-week, full-time program leverages the industry leadership strengths of Biocon and the academic vigour of KGI to benefit participants and make them readily employable. Those with a BE/B.Tech in Biotechnology / Industrial Biotechnology; MSc. in Biotechnology / Microbiology / Biochemistry / Biology; and B. Pharm with a CGPA of 7.5 (71 percentage) and above are eligible to apply for the course. Admissions for the next batch are open. Visit:
www.bioconacademy.com About KGI: Founded in 1997, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) is located in Southern California and is a member of the Claremont University Consortium. It is the only American graduate institution dedicated solely to bioscience education and discovery and is recognized worldwide for its pioneering Professional Science Master’s program. The Institute is dedicated to education and research aimed at translating into practice, for the benefit of society, the power and potential of the life sciences. Visit
www.kgi.edu
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