The CSIR-CCMB has launched its innovation activities in the form of I Hub in Hyderabad.
According to Rakesh Mishra, Director of CCMB, “The main aim of the I Hub is to provide a platform both for translating ideas developed in-house and providing a place for start-up companies who are interested in medical and agricultural biotechnology.”
The I-Hub is initiated mainly to meet the gap in translating ideas into technologies since start-ups have difficulty in finding infrastructure that requires financial inputs.
The I-Hub provides such facilities to incubate these ideas by the start-up so that they can mature into technologies subsequently.
“With the launch of the I-Hub, we are expecting many new start-ups and innovations to get a platform to groom and build themselves into robust industrial players in the filed of medical biotechnology,” Rakesh Mishra said.
The I-Hub is a five-storeyed building equipped with advanced laboratory equipment for research and innovation. For assisting the new start-up industries, CCMB authorities have appointed experts and tied up with two companies to start their work. The CCMB Director added that the innovation hub would facilitate application-oriented research in association with biotech companies, hospitals and start-ups.
“Apart from sophisticated equipment available for use, our experts will interact with companies, depending n the need. For example, we are looking to develop technology to identify and isolate foetal cells in the blood of mother to do pre-natal diagnosis.
The I-Hub will have a common research and technology development centre as well as the diagnostics and clinical research facilities at one place. Very soon, the CCMB authorities are also planning to start training programme in the areas of applied bioinformatics, forensic sciences and cell biology to generate industry-ready human resource.