FABA drive meets needs of biotech industry, academia

Hyderabad: The Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA), in collaboration with Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) and Agri Biotech Foundation (ABF), successfully completed its 1st “Finishing School”programme on June 4, 2025, at the ABF campus in Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. This unique one-month initiative was envisioned to address a persistent challenge in the biotechnology landscape, the critical gap between academic education and industry expectations.

The programme culminated in a formal valedictory ceremony, attended by dignitaries including Dr Venkateswarlu, President, ABF, Prof Pallu Reddanna (Executive President, FABA), Prof A R Reddy, Former VC, Yogi Vema University.

In his opening remarks, Prof Reddanna emphasized that the Finishing School is not a one-time effort but the beginning of a long-term industry-academia collaboration through enhancing skills in life sciences. Dr Anand Kumar highlighted the importance of industry-academia synergy and the responsibility of Life Science graduates to emerge as the next generation of innovators. During the valedictory session, Dr Venkateswarluemphasized the critical role of hands-on training in shaping India’s life sciences sector. He acknowledged the financial and logistical challenges of implementing wet-labeducation, and credited the programme’s success to the support of Indian Immunologicals Limited. He noted that participants gained exposure to SOPs and emerging industry practices, which would directly benefit their professional journeys.

Prof AR Reddy affirmed that ABF would continue to host and expand such training initiatives. Participants gave excellent feedback, highlighting the programme’s real-world relevance, technical depth, and transformational impact on their career readiness.

Through a meticulously curated 27-day curriculum, the Finishing School trained a select cohort of 20 life sciences graduates, postgraduates and entry level industry employees equipping them with the technical proficiency, laboratory competence, and professional discipline required to excel in real-world biotech and pharmaceutical industries. A series of scientific lectures were delivered by leading voices from academia and industry, including experts from the University of Hyderabad, Biological E Ltd., NIAB, Dr Reddy’s Labs, Indian Immunologicals Limited, IKP Knowledge Park, UMED Pharma and various industries. Industrial visits covered ASPIRE Incubation Centre and School of Life Science at University of Hyderabad, UR therapeutics, Bycus therapeutics, Umed Pharma, Huwel Life Sciences, and YMC India.

The success of this first edition affirms the vision of FABA and its partners—to create scalable, impactful, and sustainable models for biotechnology skill development in India.