ABLE-WBBA sign MOU for breakthrough discoveries

Oct. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Bangalore, October 5, 2012: The Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE), the apex body of the biotech sector in India and US-based Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in New Delhi for broad ranging co-operation in the field of biotechnology to support breakthrough discoveries in healthcare, Agriculture and clean energy in the country.
According to this Memorandum of Understanding, both ABLE and WBBA will undertake activities to further their respective mandates by providing each others’ members opportunities to co-operate and invest in the State of Washington and in India in the field of Biotechnology. These activities could be the current ones that both associations are engaged in or future ones that both may decide to do individually or jointly.  Among others, the activities could be concerned with technical knowledge, market research, inputs for policy making, internships, exhibitions, workshops, seminars, capacity building, collaborations, Investment and business partnering.
Speaking on this occasion, Dr. PM Murali, President, ABLE said, “We are pleased to partner with WBBA to support and provide each other with cutting edge research in biotechnology. The collaboration aims to achieve breakthrough discoveries to provide affordable   solutions for critical diseases, important challenges in agriculture and energy on mutually agreed topics.”
Chris Rivera, President, WBBA said, “We see India as the growth engine of tomorrow and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This collaboration with ABLE in India is significant to WBBA to facilitate best of research in biotechnology from both the countries.”
Chris Gregoire, Governor of Washington State, was also present for signing this MOU and said that, “Washington State has always promoted technology innovation and biotechnology has been one of our areas of focus for research and development. This exciting partnership will spur progress in this sector in India and Washington, growing jobs in both regions. We know that this collaboration, over time, will pay dividends in improved public health and economic development.”

This partnership will enable both WBBA and ABLE to recognize each other as the preferred knowledge partner for the Biotechnology Industry. This will encourage individual industry member representatives or Industry organizations wishing to consider investing or doing business in the State of Washington or India to come through ABLE /WBBA so that the views can be harmonized and vetted by WBBA /ABLE experts. This would enable a more efficient and effective mechanism of interaction between WBBA/ABLE and the Private Biotech Industry in India and in the State of Washington.
Both associations will provide inputs on various issues related to the healthcare, food, agriculture, bio-energy, clean-tech  and nutritional field and facilitate opportunities in Research, Technologies, Drug development, Education, Human resources, Manufacturing, Marketing, Services, Business, Trade, Capacity building and so on through several pre-planned activities.

About ABLE
Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises - ABLE is a not-for-profit pan-India forum that represents the Indian Biotechnology Sector. It was launched in April 2003, after industry leaders felt a need to form an exclusive forum to represent the Indian Biotechnology Sector. It has over 270 members from all across India representing all verticals of the sector like agribiotech, bio-pharma, industrial biotech, bioinformatics, investment banks and Venture Capital firms, leading research and academic institutes and law firms and equipment suppliers.
The primary focus of ABLE is to accelerate the pace of growth of the Biotechnology sector in India, through partnering with the Government in their biotechnology initiatives to deliver optimal policies and create a positive regulatory environment, encouraging entrepreneurship and investment in the sector, providing a platform for domestic and overseas companies to explore collaboration and partnerships, forging stronger links between academia and industry and showcasing the strengths of the Indian biotech sector.

About WBBA
The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) is an independent, non-profit trade association serving over 500 members’ organizations in the life sciences industry in the state of Washington. WBBA’s members include organizations engaged in or supportive of research, development and commercialization of life science technologies. The mission of the association is to support and grow life science ecosystem and together with its members are dedicated to innovation to realization, supporting breakthrough discoveries to better health solutions.