Technology + R&D News from Bangalore

[sunilkumar]

Komli Media has promoted COO Prashant Mehta to the CEO position, with founder Amar Goel becoming Chairman of the online advertising network. Mehta will head the ad network (Komli) and the audience measurement business (Vizisense), across markets. Additionally, Komli has announced the launch of a new technology center in Bangalore, where it plans to hire 50 employees in the first 6 months. This announcement comes close to the heels of the company raising $15 million in a round of funding from Norwest Venture Partners, Nexus Venture Partners and Helion Venture Partners.

As we had reported, Komli didn’t do particularly well in the financial year ending March 31st 2010: according to their filing with India’s Registrar of Companies, for the year ending March 31st 2010, the company earned an income of Rs. 8,61,90,217, and incurred a loss of Rs. 6,81,70,538 (approximately $1.5 million). Since then, the company has expanded internationally, by acquiring PostClick. All these factors might result in better revenues for the company in the coming fiscal, though the increase in headcount and expenses incurred in setting up the training center might impact profitability.

source @ http://www.medianama.com/2011/02/223...-in-bangalore/

[gentem]

Now, Saab R&D centre in India
TNN, Feb 9, 2011, 07.01am IST

BANGALORE: Swedish major Saab has announced the establishment of a research and development centre in India, with which the company will create a sustainable and long-term relationship, to be able to co-develop critical technologies with India.

This centre is a part of Saab's future offer for the world market. The aim of the research and development centre is to transfer to India continuously, already identified concrete programmes and technologies. The centre will form a bridge between India and Sweden, and together with an initial base of 100-300 skilled Indian engineers, form the backbone of the centre. It will stimulate innovation all around India, said Saab president and CEO Hekan Bushke.

The areas of focus would cover aerospace, defence and urban innovation, including civil security. The centre will be established in cooperation with Indian partners and universities, and will create new innovations, new technology and exporting opportunities for Indian governmental, academic and industry entities.

[sunilkumar]

NEW DELHI: Japanese consumer durables firm Hitachi on Wednesday said it plans to double its turnover to USD 2 billion in India by 2013 and it will set up a new research and development centre in the country by next fiscal.

Besides, the firm is looking to set up a new production facility dedicated to manufacture products, mainly more energy efficient ones for the local as well as the overseas markets.

"We have a turnover of around USD 1 billion in India (at present). Our plan and mission is to double it in the next couple of years. We will keep on looking for business opportunities in the country," Hitachi Asia Chief Executive Yasunori Taga told reporters here.

The company is already in the process to set up its first research and development centre in Bangalore, which will be operational by the end of next fiscal. Besides, the company is also looking at setting up its fifth manufacturing facility in the country in order to meet the growing demands.

"Our vision is to have one R&D centre in India to address the global needs as well as to develop products for the local market... besides we also need to set up a new production site to meet the demands of the country and to have direct access to the market here," he said.

He, however, did not provide how much the company will invest to set up the R&D centre and the new production facility. At present, Hitachi has four plants which makes products like air conditioners and construction equipment.

The company, which announced its participation at the two-days Eco-Products International Fair 2011 starting from tomorrow, said it will focus on promoting its eco-friendly products in India. It has already lined up a range of energy efficient products to be introduced for the Indian market.

"Our contribution to the global turnover is very less, around one per cent. We want to increase it. We are very much working on the kind of energy efficient products that we can bring to India," Taga said

Hitachi worth 100 Billion USD, one of the largest technology company from japan. Can we expect atleast 500cr from this R&D unit.

source @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/7460530.cms

[gentem]

US secretary’s tip to IISc: protect your innovations
TNN, Feb 10, 2011, 05.37am IST

BANGALORE: Innovate, but with a robust system of intellectual property protection. This was US commerce secretary Gary Locke's message to a motley bunch of researchers at one of India's oldest scientific institutes on Wednesday.

Acknowledging the 101-year-old Indian Institute of Science (IISc) as the "heir to a long lineage of scientific discovery", Locke said India's academic institutes should create a system of laws and regulatory infrastructure to encourage freer flow of ideas, people and technologies across its borders.

At a town hall meeting, the US official reminded the 30-odd bunch of young researchers about India's weak innovation ecosystem. " India is still working to establish a robust system of intellectual property protection, which is the cornerstone of an innovation-based economy. Over time, countries that do not have string intellectual property will face two equally unappealing options: either their scientists, engineers and businesses will lose the incentive to innovate, or they will decide to innovate somewhere else."

Referring to IISc as a place where students live and breathe research and innovation, Locke said many of the world's daunting problems like climate change, poverty, terrorism can be solved with the science and math of engineering skills that the institute teaches its budding innovators.

THE CASE STUDY

Locke made a case study out of Indian-American entrepreneur Vinod Khosla to drive home the message on why intellectual property protection is important to innovation.

He said, Khosla, famed venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, may not have found success in the US if not for a legal system that protected his intellectual property and a marketplace that gave innovators of any nationality freedom to shake up the status quo. "What he did in America was also good for the whole world, as millions of people and businesses became more efficient and more productive as a result of technologies he pioneered," he underlined.

[sunilkumar]

This thread will keep track on Biotechnology | Health care Research | Pharma Projects

[sunilkumar]

Health Care Global Enterprises (HCG) and medical equipment major Siemens have collaborated to set up a Centre of Excellence at Bangalore. Under the pact, Siemens will be the exclusive technology provider for radiation oncology.

The partnership under the initiative ‘Fighting Cancer- Fast and Focused’ has a dedicated software IM-RealArt solution which allows for real time diagnosis of the exact location of tumour, its size and help to target radiation effectively. Further, research and training will also help to develop better treatment protocols for cancer treatment.

IM-RealArt is an advanced Adaptive radiation therapy and has a CT vision system, intelligent treatment re-planning software, Artiste Linear Accelerator and 160 Leaf Multi-leaf Coordinator making it an advanced form of radiation therapy taking cancer treatment to a faster level of diagnosis and treatment in India.

The medical technology major already has a Centres of Excellence in the US at John Hopkins and Mayo Clinic and Germany at the University of Heidelberg , but the one at HCG is its first in Asia. “While this may not be specifically a part of our emerging market strategy, the effort will be to offer the growing number of cancer patients from this region faster access to targeted therapies, stated Dr Bernd Montag, CEO, imaging and therapy division, Siemens Healthcare at a press conclave here.

The key intention is to offer patients less invasive procedures and confirm the right treatment. HCG was opted as the Centre Excellence by Siemens going by its technology adoption and team of experts, added Dr Montag.

Growing incidence of cancer and rising interest rates have put immense pressure on hospitals engaged in cancer care. This is where the direct line of credit by Siemens has come along with its agreement to open a Centre of Excellence which has come in as a big relief for us to offer the advanced diagnosis and treatment. From a vendor status, Siemens is now a strategic partner helping us to adopt the latest in medical technology. The end result is to ensure maximum benefit for the patients, said Dr BS Ajai Kumar, chairman HCG.

The Centre of Excellence will also offer training. The earlier trend used to be that clinicians had to travel overseas for training, research and development, which is now available in India. This is an age of reverse brain drain where medical experts are keen to work at modern hospitals in the country which have latest medical technology, stated Dr. Kumar.

According to D Ragavan, country head, healthcare sector, Siemens, the agreement with HCG takes the relationship from a transaction level to a strategic mode.

Source @ http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails...id=61314&sid=2

[sunilkumar]

Hi All

I don't know whether it make sense to create this thread. lets see your's opinion

[avinash2060]

Overview
Jeevitham is a “state-of-the-art” Pharma Special Economic Zone(SEZ) being developed on a sprawling 325 acres, north of Bangalore, Karnataka which will be operational by 2011. This mega pharma hub is expected to house about 40 to 50 pharmaceutical industries with an investment of Rs.2,000 crores. The development has multiple options of land sizing for manufacturing units as well as ancillary, warehousing and supporting units strategically located amidst fine landscaping with adequate green cover and modern amenities. This SEZ would offer uninterrupted water, telecom, and broadband connectivity, besides effective effluent treatment and proper accessibility for better facilitation of container movement. Other strategic advantage of Jeevitham is its close connectivity to Bangalore International Airport and the road and rail networks. Jeevitham offers pharma companies housed in this SEZ to work in a hassle free environment with world class facilities.

[sunilkumar]

Karnataka’s Department of Information Technology, Bio-Technology and Science & Technology, Vision Group on Biotechnology and MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications have announced that the 11th edition of the annual ‘Bangalore India Bio 2011’ will be held from May 4 to May 6, 2011 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumkur Road, Bangalore. The theme of the event is ‘biotech for improving the quality of life’ in the areas of Biopharmaceuticals, Clinical Research, BioMedical Technology, Bio Business, Bio Collaborations and Industrial BioTechnology.

Making the announcement, Ashok Kumar C Manoli, principal secretary to Karnataka Department of IT, Biotechnology and S&T, said that the three-day event is recognized as one of the largest biotech events in Asia and has a positive impact on the industry.

“The event has positioned India as one of the top destinations for biotech R&D, bio-services and market for end-products. The global biotech industry's response over the years is a proof of its popularity. India is an important destination for the biotech industry worldwide. Bangalore India Bio plays a major role in business development for India in the global biotech arena and has entrenched itself as a hub for innovations & collaborations,” he added.

This year’s show would be a platform for the international biotech companies to connect with leaders in India’s Life Sciences Industry, besides policy makers and regulators and biotech states. ” he added.

The 11th edition will have an International Exhibition, Multi-Track Conference, BioPartnering India, CEO Conclave, Bio-IP Zone, Poster Session, BioQuiz and the Bio- Excellence Awards Function. Over 170 exhibitors, 1000 delegates and over 5000 business visitors from across the world and India are expected to participate in the event. Countries expected to participate are USA, Canada, UK, France, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea & UAE.

The CEO Conclave is an exclusive gathering of CEOs, R&D Heads, Policy-makers, Venture Capitalists and Investment Bankers. After the success of the Bio-IP Zone initiative last year, this year it will enable leading IP firms to come to address issues like Licensing, Valuation, Patents, Trademarks & Copyright. Bio Excellence Awards, Exhibitor Awards and Poster Awards will be presented during the programme. Poster Session – ‘Walkway of Discovery’ will provide an opportunity to present innovative ideas, which have the potential to make a significant impact in the field of biotechnology. A state-level BioQuiz, introduced last year attracted 128 students from 64 colleges across Karnataka and this year more participants are expected, stated the organizers.

Last year’s event had 366 delegates, 219 companies from 25 countries. Over 800 meetings were facilitated for not only start-ups but established pharma and biotech companies.

source @ http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=61327&sid=1

[horrerbaba]

it is depend your mind and your nature.

[sunilkumar]

heard Microsoft is opening new office in Manyata tech park. anybody have more info on this?

Microsoft have 3 Divisions in India.

1)Microsoft India Research Lab ,Bangalore
2)Microsoft India Development center ,Hyderabad (big unit)
3)Microsoft GTSC ,Bangalore

[sunilkumar]

Come April and Bangalore will witness India’s first stem cell clinical trial against four common and incurable diseases – diabetes type 2, alcoholic liver cirrhosis, osteoarthritis and gradual destruction of lung tissues – involving close to 200 patients

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given permission to a Bangalore-based company, Stempeutics Research, for carrying out Phase-II clinical trials to find out the efficacy of stem cell therapy. The safety of “Stempeucel” was established in an earlier trial. “The trial will begin in April in Bangalore, Delhi and Kochi in association with hospitals. Patients will be given the stem cell therapy for six months. The results will be analysed subsequently and patients will be under observation for two years,” B N Manohar, chief executive officer of Stempeutics told Deccan Herald.

If successful, stem cell therapy may possibly result in permanent cure for chronic diabetes, killer alcoholic liver cirrhosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD leads to gradual destruction of lung tissues making breathing difficult for a person. The therapy will also take care of crippling osteoarthritis. All of them are at present incurable. Stem cells used in the therapy are called “mesenchymal stem cells”(MSC), derived from the bone marrow of healthy donors using a proprietary technology. In the last decade, stem cells opened up a new therapeutic window as they can produce almost all types of cells in the body. There are two categories of stem cells. The first one can be harvested from embryos and the second one from adult bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. MSC is produced from bone marrow.

The company has roped in M S Ramaiah and Mahaveer Jain hospitals in Bangalore, and Medanta Medicity in Delhi for the clinical trial.

For liver cirrhosis, the therapy would be tried on 60 patients, whereas for diabetes the trial will involve about 45 patients. In case of osteoarthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – the therapy would be tested on 30 patients each. The stem cells kept in a cryo-bank, will be injected into the patients. In case of COPD and diabetes it will be intravenous shots whereas in osteoarthritis, it will be intra-articular injection. Only one shot is given to the patients.

Being the first stem cell trial in the country for as many as four ailments, the DCGI took almost 15 months to review the proposal and grant permissions. Its safety was tested in a smaller trial involving 20 patients each for acute myocardial infarction and critical limb ischemia in March 2009.

“The clinical protocol was referred to an expert panel constituted by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Only after the ICMR panel was satisfied, the DCGI permission came,” said Manohar.

If the trial succeeds, India’s first stem cell product could be expected by 2014-15, said Satish Totey, a researcher, formerly associated with National Institute of Immunology, Delhi.

The R&D driven company – owned by the Manipal Group and Cipla – is even more ambitious. It expects to bring the first Indian stem cell-based drug in the market by 2013. “Our developments are parallel to research activities in the US and Australia from where the first seven-eight commercial stem cell therapies may be launched by next year,” Totey who used to be associated with Stempeutics Research in the past, told Deccan Herald.

source @ http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ell-trial.html

[naveen_blr]

I wish all the Inner Ring Road offices move to the ORR :-)

[gentem]

No need. in fact yahoo moved from CBD to inner ring road.

[naveen_blr]

The inner Ring Road ride used to be such a beautiful one...
Introducing an underpass/flyover at 100feet & Ejipura Junctions might get the charm back :-)

[sunilkumar]

Originally Posted by naveen_blr

Introducing an underpass/flyover at 100feet & Ejipura Junctions might get the charm back :-)

BBMP already proposed Underpass at this jucntion similar to madiwala. but no news on when work starts.

[sunilkumar]

Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Limited (RBEI) will share global responsibility for powertrain electronics development, together with Diesel and Gasoline Systems-Electronic Controls business unit, within the automotive division of Bosch Group.

Briefing reporters, Robert Bosch Engineering & Business Solutions Managing Director Vijay Ratnaparkhe said RBEI will take on complete worldwide responsibility for additional customers, markets and projects in powertrain electronics development. It will rercuit over 800 engineers in powertrain electronics domain between 2011 and 2012 in Bangalore and Coimbatore. RBEI has invested in specialized engineering facilities – electronic control unit reliability testing lab and electromagnetic compatibility,at Bangalore and Coimbatore.

Additional investment of Rs 300 crore is also scheduled.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...nitiative.html

[engineer.akash]

Samsung B’lore R&D centre working on futuristic tech

Dilip Maitra, Bangalore, Feb 16, DH News Service:

With the launch of 3G services in various states, India is slowly entering the new era of mobile telephony.

But engineers at the Bangalore centre of Samsung India Software Operations (SISO) Pvt Ltd, subsidiary of Korean giant Samsung, are already working on far advanced technologies like 4G.

Nearly 2,000 engineers in the mobile communication team at Samsung’s R&D centre are working on variety of cutting edge technologies like LTE (Long Term Evolution), HTML5, Bada operating system for mobiles, Android operating system for tablets and Dolfin browser for smartphones. The Bangalore team, for example, has worked along with other Samsung R&D centres to develop a dongle (data card) for 4G mobiles. The 4G modem has already been launched in Norway and is in the process of being rolled out in Sweden, Finland and Denmark by the telecom company TeliaSonera. This Samsung GT-B3730 4G modem, which also supports 3G and 2G bands as well, can achieve peak download speed of 100 mbps as against maximum speed of 21 mbps of 3G and around 1 mbps of 2G network.

Talking to Deccan Herald SISO Vice President (Mobile Communications Team) Dipesh Amritilal Shah said “Our team here has worked on developing 4G smart phone protocol stacks. Soon Samsung will launch two such 4G phones in the US market.” The centre has co-developed Dolfin browser based on Open Source web kit engine which is currently being used in several million Samsung handsets. SISO is driving new technologies in internet browsing on Smartphones by adding features like HTML5, Inline Video, Web-to-Native interaction and to connect high performance graphics engine to enhance the web gaming experience, Shah said.

SISO has also done considerable amount of work in developing Samsung’s own Bada operating system for smart phones used in millions of handsets. Released in 2010, Bada (means Ocean in Korean) is a smartphone platform that powers Samsung’s Wave and Wave2 mobiles, currently available in India. Since the vision of Bada is “Smartphone for Everyone” Samsung expects that it will drive down the price of handsets, make them affordable and will widen the market in a big way. This is already happening as the price of Wave smartphone has already dropped from Rs 18,000 (Wave1) to Rs 12,000 (Wave2) in just about eight months, Shah said. Samsung is also encouraging mobile app developers to develop apps for Bada. Other major technologies the centre is working on are IP multimedia, voice over IP for LTE platform, 3D video capability on mobile devices and full HD (1080p) recording and playback on handsets.

DHNS

[engineer.akash]

EU business & technology centre in City
Bangalore, Feb 17, DHNS:

European Union, on Thursday, announced the setting up of European business and technology centre in Bangalore.

This is fourth such centre by EU in India after Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Briefing reporters, EU Head of Delegation Ambassador Daniele Smadja said will work towards technology transfer between EU & India for promotion of clean technologies in India as also facilitate entry of EU small and medium businesses explore partnerships with Indian counterparts. The focus will be on envrionment, energy, biotech and transport sectors, she added.

The EU, she said, has apportioned €16 million spread over seven years from October 2008 to February 2017 for the various activities of the four centres in India which will work towards enhancing two-way trade between EU and India as also facilities companies for exploring a base for manufacturing, R&D and potential joint venture partnerships.

Incidentally, the centre also signed a MoU with the Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce for enhancing business and technology cooperation between EU and India.

DHNS

[sunilkumar]

Renesas Electronics Singapore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), today held an opening ceremony of the branch office located in Bangalore with attendees from the Japanese embassy in India, customers and industrial partners. Renesas Electronics has been strengthening its business in the global market to pursue the growth outside Japan, aiming to increase its overseas sales ratio to 60 percent by FY 2012.

Through the acquisition of Nokia’s wireless modem business, Renesas Mobile Corporation, Renesas Electronics’ subsidiary offering semiconductor solutions for mobile devices, started its operation in December 2010, with R&D facilities in various regions including India. Engaging India’s emerging market is part of Renesas’ overseas business expansion strategy. By strengthening the sales, marketing and technical support in India, Renesas Electronics expects to grow its India business by 20 percent annually. Renesas Electronics is targeting the following segments in India market – Industrial, Consumer and Automotives. Over 100 new products will be developed specifically for this market.

“We are pleased to reach the day we open the first full-scale branch in India”, said Yasushi Akao, President of Renesas Electronics Corporation. “We believe in high-potential growth of the Indian market and are eager to expand our global sales to synchronize their growth. Providing the best semiconductor solutions based on our competitive microcontrollers through the new branch, Renesas aims to double its sales in the Indian market to 100 million dollars by FY2012.”
“The establishment of a branch office in India is a major milestone for Renesas Electronics Singapore. Through this office, we will bring to India the cutting-edge technology that Renesas offers globally. I am confident that our MCU-based solutions, new products dedicated for the Indian market, as well as the expanded sales force, will propel us to a leading position in the Indian Semiconductor arena in the near future.“, commented Hideyuki Jake Shimada, Managing Director of Renesas Electronics Singapore.

The new office in Bangalore is located at 777C 100 Feet Road and is staffed by 16 employees. Renesas Electronics plans to increase its manpower to 45 by FY2015. Along with its authorized distributors, Renesas Electronics will have over 80 engineers providing field and technical support for customers in India, by the same fiscal year.

The office reports to Sunil Dhar, who holds the concurrent appointment of a General Manager in Renesas Electronics Singapore. In his current position Sunil, a semiconductor veteran with over 20 years of experience, carries out his function from his offices in India and Singapore and is tasked to lead the company’s growth strategy in India.

“India has emerged as a knowledge-based economy with a huge domestic appetite. It is inevitable that world’s no-1 microcontroller company sets up a strong base in India in order to satiate the needs of Worlds’ no-1 designers and embedded community and hence plugs itself into an ecosystem that is bound to be a major contributor to an evolving ubiquitously networked society.” says Mr. Dhar.

In addition to the new branch office, Renesas Electronics also has regional offices in Mumbai and New Delhi. Together, they will provide timely support to the growing pool of customers throughout India.

source @ http://www.business-standard.com/ind...cility/425664/