Ahmedabad: The Entrepreneurship
Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, in collaboration with the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Central Drug Research Institute
(CSIR–CDRI), Lucknow, organized a Technology Showcase & Adoption Workshop at the
EDII campus in Ahmedabad. The one-day workshop, themed ‘From
Innovation to Enterprise – Connecting Technologies with Gujarat’s Pharma
MSMEs,’ focused on addressing key challenges faced by
pharmaceutical MSMEs in areas such as formulation quality, product testing,
regulatory compliance and access to advanced drug-delivery technologies. The
workshop provided a platform for MSMEs, entrepreneurs, startups, technical and Research
& Development (R&D) professionals, Quality Assurance & Quality
Control (QA/QC) heads and other stakeholders to engage directly with scientists
and experts from CSIR–CDRI.
The Workshop was graced by Chief Guest, Mr. J P Patel, Joint
Commissioner, Food & Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat, Dr.
Radha Rangarajan, Director, CSIR–CDRI, Lucknow and Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director
General, EDII.
Chief
Guest Mr. J P Patel, emphasised
the importance of strengthening linkages between technology institutions,
regulatory stakeholders and the MSME sector. He said, “Technology adoption becomes meaningful when innovation is translated
into practical solutions that address evolving industry needs. This workshop provided
an important platform for pharmaceutical MSMEs to understand emerging
technologies, engage with experts and explore pathways for responsible and
sustainable growth.”
Dr.
Radha Rangarajan, Director, CSIR–CDRI, Lucknow, said, “Taking technologies from the laboratory to
industry is about creating solutions that are relevant, adoptable and capable
of generating wider impact. Through this engagement with pharmaceutical MSMEs,
we sought to showcase technologies that address real industry challenges and
facilitate meaningful technology adoption.”
Dr. Sunil
Shukla, Director General, EDII, underlined EDII’s role in facilitating the transition from
innovation to enterprise. He said, “Entrepreneurship is an important bridge
between technology and economic value creation. By connecting pharmaceutical
MSMEs with technology and incubation support, EDII aims to facilitate the
journey from promising innovations to viable enterprises and scalable business
opportunities.”
The four ready-to-transfer formulation technologies were
showcased by CSIR–CDRI, selected for their technology-readiness and potential
adoptability by MSMEs. A dedicated
session on Process Chemistry was also presented by
CSIR–CDRI, focusing on an area of significant relevance to MSMEs engaged in
API, intermediate and contract manufacturing. The EDII team further presented
its incubation and enterprise-support ecosystem, funding-scheme linkages and
the pathway for technology adoption.