IKP Knowledge Park in Genome Valley near here, as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, is ready with a blueprint for the next phase of growth, sharpening focus of the wet lab research park and incubator on small and medium enterprises, deep tech firms as well to help companies take innovation to market.
Companies at the park are focussed on research in the realm of pharmaceutical, biotech, agriculture and environment. “Broadly, we call it life sciences,” IKP chairman and CEO Deepanwita Chattopadhyay said, adding that cornerstones of the IKP 2.0 blueprint would be on supporting firms become not just economically efficient but ecologically too.
“We will look at sustainability. Whatever we do, we will keep Sustainability Development Goals in mind,” she said briefing the media about the 20th anniversary celebrations and IKP Knowledge Millennium Conference 2019 to be held on November 8 and 9.
In the next phase, the Park here, which has supported over 180 companies for over 20 years, would focus on deep tech firms and help agri innovation firms take their products beyond labs. On November 8, Minister for IT and Industries K.T. Rama Rao would inaugurate the Agri-Innovation Translation Centre at the newly-developed 1.1 lakh sq. ft. Sustainability Innovation Centre (SINC) on the IKP campus.
“We will focus on a lot of translational activities… need to look at those technologies to help reduce pressure on natural resources. The country also needs lot more SMEs. Going forward, one of the intentions is to make SMEs much more stronger,” Ms. Chattopadhyay said.
COO and CFO Prasad Ede said in the next five years, at least ₹500 crore investment is expected from the companies, both existing as well as by new ones. Thus far, the Park has attracted investments of around ₹2,000 crore by the companies. On its part, the IKP in the two decades has invested ₹100 crore, including ₹45 crore on a 75,000 SME Hub for pharma companies that would be ready by March 2020. The proposed facilities – modular labs – are expected to benefit 30-35 companies, he added.
Established in 1999 on a 200-acre campus by ICICI Bank in partnership with the State government of the then Andhra Pradesh, the IKP Knowledge Park (IKP) is home to 45 companies, including eight anchor companies that have taken land on long lease. On the land available for allotments, Ms. Chattopadhyay said about 25 acres was available. “We need to acquire more land, and talk to the government about it,” she added.
