face to face
“Startups must focus on
articulation as much as the
product development”
The Bangalore based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms, also popularly
known as C-CAMP, was set up by the Department of Biotechnology in 2009
as an enabler for successful bioscience research and entrepreneurship. In an
exclusive freewheeling interview with the BioVoice News, Dr Taslimarif Saiyed,
Director and Chief Operating Officer of C-CAMP explained the do’s and don’ts
for the startups besides sharing insights on the current trends in Indian startup
ecosystem
BY RAHUL KOUL IN BENGALURU
Please tell our
readers about the
latest activities at
C-CAMP? What has
been the long-term
vision of the institute?
As you know, since
its foundation, the
C-CAMP has been
known for its activities
around innovation,
entrepreneurship and
seed funding. We have
been operating the
Biotechnology Ignition
Grant (BIG) scheme in
partnership with the
Biotechnology Industry
Research Assistance
Council (BIRAC) since last
few years, it has enabled
10
BioVoiceNews | May 2017
technology innovators and
entrepreneurs to pursue
a promising technology
idea, and establish and
validate proof of concept
for the idea. We later
started the incubation
space as well. But more
recently, we have been
able to add seed funding
capabilities as well.
One of the latest activities
is that C-CAMP has been
selection under NITI
Aayog program which
has given us an arm to
run seed fund besides
tremendous support we
have been able to get due
to it. The NITI Aayog
support has helped us
to expand incubation
space and do lot of other
activities. It has expanded
the room for funding per
say. It is the huge addition
we have.
At the same time, BIRAC
has been able to given
us an equity model
program, The Sustainable
Entrepreneurship and
Enterprise Development
(SEED) that will support
8-10 life sciences startups
for its first batch with
funding allocation upto
Rs 30 lakhs. We have now
also partnered with the
Ministry of Micro Small
and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs). This allows