Hyderabad to host Asian Science Park Association conference

India will be hosting the 20th annual conference of the Asian Science Park Association (ASPA) for the first time in Hyderabad from October 19 to 22.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT), which is a member of ASPA, will be organising the four-day conference at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre in Hyderabad.

A statement issued by ICRISAT here on Thursday stated that the theme of ASPA is “innovation sharing and collaborative opportunities in science and technology for advancement in Asia and Asia Pacific.”

According to Kiran K. Sharma, theme leader – Agribusiness and Innovation Platform, Innovation Systems for the Dryland Programme, ICRISAT and chairman of the organising committee of the conference – ASPA has been trying to present a new paradigm of Asian industry and build economic consensus in this continent by bringing together innovative organisations, companies and individuals that contribute to industrial and economic development in their societies.

The statement said that the conference will consist of technical sessions on cutting-edge issues in this space and leaders in the industry will explore in-depth issues pertaining to science and technology parks for startups, translational research platforms and challenges and opportunities in public-private collaborations in Asia.

ASPA is an international NGO established in Japan in 1997 to accomplish collaborative development in the fields of science and technology, industry and economy in the Asian region.

The statement further stated that the need for convergence of technology and business for enhanced developmental impact has been established as a well-known fact.

The academia or research over these last couple of decades is interacting pro-actively with the industry for commercialisation of public led research technologies and has proven to be a successful Public Private Partnership (PPP) models for many organisations.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics Agribusiness and Innovation platform (ICRISAT-AIP) was established as an initiative of The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics to enhance the public private partnerships.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics –AIP includes the Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) programme, Innovation and Partnership (INP) programme and the Nutriplus Knowledge (NPK) programme.

ASPA was set up

to accomplish development in the fields of science, industry and economy