IKP fulfiling R&D needs of tech cos

The pent-up need felt by technology companies for customised ready-to-occupy space for research and development purposes is now being met thanks to a new initiative by the ICICI Knowledge Park (IKP).

IKP, the first professionally managed science park in India to offer developed space for customised research and development (R&D) facilities, has seen five companies tie up for space.

Located on a 200-acre campus at Turkpally, 35 km from the Hyderabad airport, IKP is an initiative of ICICI Bank and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, The park, operational since May 2000, offers its tenants modular laboratories or developed open space where one can build customised R&D centres in short time frames.

"It also serves as a knowledge-nurturing centre for Indian companies and a knowledge gateway for multinational companies. The park is set up as a not-for-profit company with a mission to create a world-class centre for leading-edge business-driven research in India," said Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, the CEO of ICICI Knowledge Park. The focus of the park is in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, new materials and telecommunications.

The multi-tenant laboratory infrastructure at IKP called Innovation Corridors is being developed in phases.

Innovation Corridor 1 phase-I with 10 laboratories of 3,000 sqft each has been operational since June 2000. Phase II has 28,000 sqft of laboratory space in modules of 1,700 sqft and 3,400 sqft. While three laboratories of Phase II are operational, nearly 90 per cent of the lab space available has been booked, Chattopadhyay said.

The park has spent around Rs 38 crore in both the phases. The 13 resident companies are Optiwave Photonics, Matrix Laboratories, gvkbioSciences, Bioserve Biotechnologies, Krebs Biochemicals, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Bijam Biosciences, Sai Dru Syn Laboratories, Indigene Pharmaceuticals, Medikon Galanicals, Helvetica Industries, Aktiva Biotech and EPR Pharmaceuticals.

She said that the phase III of Innovation Corridor-1 with an additional 22,000 sqft of modular laboratory space was in the design stage and was expected to be ready by mid 2004.

The infrastructure services at the park include uninterrupted power supply, fibre-optic network for high-speed data transfer, secondary effluent treatment plant, a full-fledged conference facility and cafeteria. Some key analytical facilities available at the park include a DNA Sequencer. The operations and maintenance of IKP is ISO 9001-2000 certified.

Besides this, in order to support clinical research activities of its tenants, IKP has tied up with the Apollo Hospitals group. "We also plan to set up a full-fledged accredited analytical instrumentation laboratory for common use by the park companies in 2004," she said.

As the park is recognised by the government as a Siro (Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation), its members are entitled to full customs and excise duty waivers.

The customs department has already set up an extension counter at the park for speedy clearances, especially for perishable and refrigerated goods of any R&D centre at the park.The area within a radius of 25 km of the park has been designated as a no-pollution zone, the IKP chief said.

The park also has a 'Knowledge Network' to facilitate collaborative research and knowledge-sharing with key academic and research institutions in the country. A key component is a virtual information centre with a database of network members, their library catalogues and online access to international and national databases.