Pharmaceutical education development: Need of academia-industry tie-up
By - 01/07/2008
- 964 reads
T. D. Nandgude
Academia-Industry partnership plays pivotal role in knowledge-based economies. The institutions are therefore considered as engines of development. The partnership or synergy between academia and industry is almost missing.
The education system in the country did not have much scope for this type of collaboration to sprout. The research done in academic institutions is not translated in industrial realities; hence the institutes keep on starving for the funds. Major changes have to occur in the institutional structures to make the technology based growth feasible. Therefore, it is necessary to study bottlenecks of academia and industry so that we may find a balanced mechanism to promote industry-academia collaboration by focusing on knowledge transfer. As we are, need to make, very serious attempts in developing a database, www.aiip.info, to proliferate academia-industry interaction in the country.
Introduction:
As you might be aware that it’s very vital for a country aiming to become a developed-nation has its Academics and Industry work hand-in-hand as the former creates manpower and knowledge, and the later uses the two. This helps strengthen the country from within, reducing its dependence on external superpowers. Academia-Industry partnership plays pivotal role in knowledge-based economies, which in turn, makes a country stand in the league of the developed nations. The institutions are therefore considered as engines of development and are supposed to facilitate knowledge generation and manpower development in tandem with the need of the industry. In India, perhaps, the partnership or synergy between academia and industry is almost missing. There are several reasons to it. Firstly, the education system in the country did not have much scope for this type of collaboration to sprout. Secondly, the professional or technical education, which in real sense have scope for academia-industry tie-up was very scanty in the country so far, it has just detonated to the required tune. Thirdly, the pace of advancement in many sectors is so rapid that by the time the syllabi up-gradation reaches to the students, it becomes outdated. Nonetheless we pay a huge price for this i.e. by having our just-graduated manpower in not-ready-to-perform mode. This occurrence is more widespread in research-based areas where the research done in academic institutions is not translated in industrial realities; hence the institutes keep on starving for the funds. Therefore, it is necessary to study bottlenecks of academia and industry so that we may find a balanced mechanism to promote industry-academia collaboration by focusing on knowledge transfer.
Who is the beneficiary?
- Collaboration provides industry an opportunity to grow its business by using the results of academic research.
- The academic institution is in need of a partner that can take its discoveries to the market place.
- The interaction is mutually beneficial one.
- Results move fundamental research from the lab bench to the common man’s place
Benefits for academia
- Tune-up their syllabi and academic practices as per the requirement of the industry
- Satisfaction for their knowledge & expertise being used for society
- Earning of additional resources for R&D
- Securing of training & final placements for students
- Respect from society and industry
- While still in studies, the students would be able to work on industrial project.
Benefits for industry
- Reduction in industrial costs, improvement in quality & competitive dimensions in products
- Imported formulae can help in making copies but not the originals for global competition
- Reduction of dependence on foreign know-how
- Getting of high calibre professional graduates to man industry
Possible areas of interaction
- Industry support to basic research
- Industry participation in technology development involving some exploratory work
- Academic intervention in solving specific industry problems
- Laboratory utilization by industry
- Continuing education programme
How interaction can be achieved?
- Publication of information
- Employment and transfer of skilled researchers
- Consulting agreement
- Material transfer agreements of un-patented technologies
- License or assignments of patented technologies
- Collaborative or sponsored research agreements for development of new technologies
- Formation of start-up companies
Need to do now – Database development
- Finding out of the bottlenecks in Industry, Academic and Institution linkage
- Development of a database indicating academic and industrial resources in the country and Researches being done.
- Study of Industry’s manpower requirement
- Synergies the strengths of academic institutions, research institutions and Indian pharmaceutical industry for pharmaceutical research
- Industry to share their problems with academia to establish labs & design projects for mutual use & aims
- Today’s project is old tomorrow, let’s set & decide, instead of making piles of files
- Problem-oriented research & consultancy
Conclusion:
Perhaps, it’s high time now that academia-industry partnership is translated from the slogan to the reality. The key to this change would be interaction and partnership between industrial firms, academic institutes, research institutes and Government, who are becoming engines of innovation. Keeping the above in view, efforts would be made to develop an academia-industry NSTMIS national database for pharmaceutical research. Be a part of national database – www.aiip.info
References:
- R Natarajan. The nature and scope of industry-institute interactions in India. Industry and Higher Education, 1998; 303–312.
- S Bhattacharya, P Arora. Industrial Linkages in Indian Universities: What they reveal and what they imply? Scientometrics, 2007; 70(2): 277-300.
- A Inzelt. The evolution of university-industry-government relationships during transition. Research Policy, 2004; 33: 975–995.
- A Lazarus, The Role of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Medical Education in Psychiatry. Academic Psychiatry, 2006; 30(1): 40-44.
- B Mullinger. Future Training Needs in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Establishing a Dialogue between Academia and Industry. EUFEPS – The European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences, June 2000.
- D Blumenthal. Academic–Industrial Relationships in the Life Sciences. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2003; 349(25): 2452-2459.
- D Blumenthal. Growing Pains for New Academic/Industry Relationships Health Affairs. Healh Affairs. 1994; 176-193.
- D Sardana, VV Krishna. Government, University and Industry Relations: The Case of Biotechnology in the Delhi Region. Science Technology & Society, 2006; 11(2): 351-378.
- www.aiip.info
About Authors:
T. D. Nandgude
M. Pharm (Pharmaceutics),Academia-Industry Interaction Project – www.aiip.info
(Sponsered by - NSTMIS, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.)
B.R. Nahata College of Pharmacy (BRNSS Contract Research Center)
P.B. No.6, Mhow-Neemuch Road, Mandsaur, 458001 (India)
Mob: 09926878701, E-mail: tanajinandgude@gmail.com , aiip@rediffmail.com
Mr. M. S. Rathore
M.Pharm. (PhD), Mobile: 09827526562, e-mail: msrathore7@rediffmail.com
B.R. Nahata College of Pharmacy (BRNSS Contract Research Center)
Dr. V. B. Gupta
M. Pharm (Pharmaceutics), Ph. D. Professor & Director, B.R. Nahata College of Pharmacy & BRNSS Contract Research Center, has interest in education, research, literature and spirituality. Bringing Academia and Industry together is his immediate agenda. His research interest lies in Product Development, Green Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice.
An author of two books. Dr. Gupta is the Editor-in-Chief for ‘International Journal of Green Pharmacy’ and ‘Asian Journal of Pharmaceutics’. He assigns his 25% time for Industrial Linkage and Contract Research.
Tel: 07422-255734, Fax: 07422-255504
E-mail: vbgupta@hotmail.com
Web sites: www.brncop.org