Biocon Academy, a Centre of Excellence for Advanced Learning in Applied Biosciences and a CSR initiative of Biocon, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, held its seventh Graduation Day at its Bengaluru Campus, with 185 students graduating this year.
Eight batches across four programmes of Biocon Academy namely:
- Biocon KGI Certificate Program in Biosciences
- Biocon JSS AHER Certificate Program in Global Regulatory Affairs
- Biocon Ramaiah Certificate Program in Quality Control Analytical
- BITS Biocon Certificate Program in Applied Industrial Microbiology
The students were felicitated by Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chief Mentor, Biocon Academy & Executive Chairperson, Biocon and Biocon Biologics. The ceremony was attended by faculty members, industry experts, and mentors. Eight outstanding students who topped their respective batches were awarded ‘Gold Medals for Academic Excellence’.
“It gives us a sense of immense achievement to look back at how the Biocon Academy has contributed to building an ecosystem for biotech-related skills in India over the past decade
- Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chief Mentor, Biocon Academy & Executive Chairperson, Biocon and Biocon Biologics
Biocon Academy has been developing high-quality talent to bridge the gap between academia and industry requirements since 2013. Over 900 students have received rigorous academic learning and world-class industrial training on applied aspects of various biotech-related disciplines at the Biocon Academy. Through the diverse programmes, students not only gain theoretical knowledge and technical skills, but also develop a broad understanding of the industry, which help them earn placements in top biotech companies in India.
Addressing the graduates, Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, said “It gives us a sense of immense achievement to look back at how the Biocon Academy has contributed to building an ecosystem for biotech-related skills in India over the past decade. The Academy is proud of its work in creating an enabling environment that shapes biotech graduates into highly capable, forward-looking self-starters, equipped with the skills, experience and knowledge to put India ahead in the field of life sciences. I would like to congratulate all the graduating students on a job well done and wish them all success in the future.”
Congratulating the students, Bindu Ajit, Program Dean, Biocon Academy, said “The well-planned programmes at Biocon Academy have equipped the students to acquire advanced knowledge and skills in their respective fields making them industry ready. I wish them all the best and am certain that they will make strides in the field of Biotechnology, making the academy and country proud.”
Donning The Graduation Caps
Biocon Academy has achieved 100% placement for students who completed the programme during 2021-2022 in various batches. Around 104 students have been placed in the Biocon Group, (including Biocon Biologics and Syngene) and 64 students have been placed with leading Indian pharmaceutical-biotechnology companies such as Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Lupin, Kemwell Biopharma, Symbio Generics, Farcast Biosciences, and MMS Holdings among others. About eleven employees from Biocon Biologics Malaysia joined the Biosciences programme, while six students went on to pursue Ph.D or higher studies.
It is also noteworthy that about 18 female students have been placed in manufacturing operations, which is up from 10 in the previous year.
The students in this batch came from various parts of the country including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and UP among others.
Biocon Academy alumni have been placed in some of the leading biotech companies including Syngene, Biocon, Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Lupin, Intas, Baxter, GVK Biosciences, Thermo Fisher, Zydus, Novozymes, and IQVIA among others.
Silver medal for Biocon
In another forward-thinking move, Biocon has been awarded a Silver medal by EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, for its continued commitment to improving sustainability across business operations in Biocon and Biocon Biologics.
The Silver medal puts Biocon in the top 25% of the 40,000 companies assessed by EcoVadis in 2022. Biocon, including Biocon Biologics, received a score of 66 on EcoVadis’ 2022 scorecard, putting it in 89th percentile, which is a significant improvement from the 2021 score of 52 that placed the company in 62nd percentile last year.
For the year 2022, Biocon bettered its score in all the four EcoVadis themes – Environment (70), Labor & Human Rights (70), Ethics (60) and Sustainable Procurement (60) for the year 2022. Among these, the highest improvement came in Environment and Sustainable Procurement scores.
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Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon and Biocon Biologics, said: “The Silver Medal from EcoVadis highlights Biocon’s continuous progress and commitment towards excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. ESG is at the core of our business purpose and responsibility. As a company committed to achieving sustainable growth with positive social and environmental impacts, we are continually adopting global best practices to drive positive change by demonstrating conscious capitalism, environmental stewardship, talent diversity and globally benchmarked standards of governance.”
The EcoVadis score reflects the quality of the company’s sustainability management system at the time of the assessment.
EcoVadis’ methodology is built on international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact, and ISO 26000. The EcoVadis award is a recognized and reliable global business sustainability rating.
While announcing the scorecard and the silver medal, EcoVadis also said it would plant a tree on Biocon’s behalf through its partnership with One Tree Planted.