Life Sciences Policy to be placed before Cabinet next month: Sridhar Babu

Telangana government to introduce Life Sciences policy focusing on growth, research, industry collaboration, and skill development next month.

A Life Sciences policy under consideration of Telangana government to foster growth and address various challenges through a multi-pronged approach, including those to bolster research, industry-academia collaboration and skill development, will be placed next month before the State Cabinet, Industries and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu said here on Wednesday.

Additionally, the State government is also considering setting up a Life Sciences University as a measure to give a boost to the sector, the Minister said during an interaction with media as curtains came down on the 2-day BioAsia 2025.

On the contours of the policy, he said the focus will be on accelerating growth of the Life Sciences sector in Hyderabad by encouraging more investments and companies to set up facilities, promote industry-academia collaboration as well as enhance impetus to research work with a focus on harnessing the benefits of emerging technology.

To queries on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy referring to the proposed policy in his speech at BioAsia opening on Tuesday and how it will aid the State foray into cell and gene therapy, genomics, biologics and precision medicine, peptides, digital innovation, advanced R&D and complex manufacturing, Mr. Sridhar Babu said a host of objectives were sought to be achieved. The policy was expected to provide impetus to work on personalised medicine, bio manufacturing and advanced R&D. At the heart of the policy initiatives will be achieving the government’s objective to ensure availability of medicines at optimum cost.

Describing the proposed Life Sciences University as a measure to attract more investments and consequently creation of jobs for the local youth, Mr. Sridhar Babu said steps towards identifying a ‘good piece of the land’ would be initiated for the facility that would be established at scale. The University would be independent of the Young India Skills University of the State government.

Ground breaking soon

On the progress of the Green Pharma City project, which will form part of the Future City mooted by the State government, he said some of the companies that have committed investments would be breaking ground for their projects in 2-3 months. To queries on the pharma villages, the Minister said the land acquisition for such clusters at multiple locations across the State was under way in Vikarabad and Zaheerabad.