Two biotech researchers among awardees at the National Technology Day event

By Sunderarajan Padmanabhan

New Delhi: The President, Pranab Mukherjee, presented the national awards for excellence in technology to mark the 19^th National Technology Day on May 11, 2017.

The award winners included Prof Phani Kumar Pullela of CMR Institute of Technology, Bengaluru and Dr Soma Guhathakurta, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Engineering Design at the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, and Director (Bioengineering), Messrs Synkromax Biotech of Chennai.

The two got their awards for being the best in biotechnology products and process development and commercialization. Prof Pullela got it for his development of a new cost effective method for molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases and Dr. Guhathurta for developing an indigenous pericardial patch scaffold, which is a life saving implant for critical cardiovascular patients.

The other award winners included Numaligarh Refineries Limited, Guwahati, Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun and Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, for successfully commercialising  indigenous technology in the public sector, and Vikarsh Nanotechnology and Alloys, Pune, and Pluss Advanced Technologies, Gurugram for being successful in commercialization of technology among Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises.

Further, Amrita Technology Business Incubator, Kollam, Kerala got the award for being the best technology business incubator and IITM Incubation Cell, Chennai got the award for being the best emerging technology business incubator.

Bellarix Aerospace, Mysore, Padmaseetha Technologies, Chennai, and Nanoclean Global, Gurugram, were chosen as the best start up companies and an NGO from Dehradun, Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation got the award for using biotechnology for social development. (India Science Wire)