Hyderabad: Dr. Renu Swarup, the former Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in the Government of India, paid a visit to ASPIRE-BioNEST at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) on May 25th, 2023. During her visit, she engaged with CEOs of various start-ups and shared her valuable insights to support their entrepreneurial journeys. Dr. Swarup expressed her delight, stating, “I am truly pleased to visit ASPIRE-BioNEST today. This facility has experienced remarkable growth, leading to a transformative impact. I am thrilled to witness the positive influence it has had on the lives and endeavors of numerous start-ups.”
It is worth mentioning that UoH received the BIRAC BioNEST grant in 2017 under Dr. Swarup’s chairmanship as MD of BIRAC. She expressed immense happiness at the progress ASPIRE-BioNEST has achieved and its utilization of the grant. During her visit, she had extensive discussions with scientists and staff members of the incubating start-ups, where she was briefed about the innovative products being developed at ASPIRE-BioNEST.
Dr. Swarup congratulated the ASPRE team for achieving self-sustainability even after the completion of its BIRAC grant and emphasized that this should serve as a model for other incubation centers established within academic settings. Prof. Rajagopal, the Director of ASPIRE BioNEST, along with other directors, expressed their gratitude to Dr. Swarup for her valuable suggestions and for taking the time to visit.
Dr. Renu Swarup’s visit to Hyderabad was also marked by her delivery of the foundation day lecture at NIAB. On this occasion, two start-ups incubated at ASPIRE BioNEST, namely Bycus Therapeutics and UR Advanced Therapeutics, were honored as IKP Fellows in recognition of their exceptional innovations.
