5-Day International GIAN Workshop Concludes at Panjab University

Chandigarh, September 20, 2025: The five-day International Workshop under the Government of India’s Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) scheme, supported by the Ministry of Education, concluded at Panjab University (PU) on Friday.

The workshop, entitled “Innovation Capitalised: Harnessing Licensing, Technology Transfer, and Product Expansion for Success,” was painstakingly executed under the stewardship of Prof. Indu Pal Kaur, Dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences; DPIIT–IPR Chair; and Professor of Pharmaceutics, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), PU.

Around 80 registered delegates, representing seven different states of the country, benefited from the week-long deliberations from eminent experts in the domain.

The workshop commenced with Prof. Sanjay Garg, foreign faculty from Adelaide University, Australia, sharing compelling success stories from his international experience, and highlighted the journey of taking academic innovations to market readiness.

During the first three days, he elaborated on Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and discussed critical pathways for innovators to commercialise research outputs. The sessions focused on types of intellectual property and the challenges and opportunities in commercialisation, navigating the essentials of technology transfer, providing insights into foundational and regulatory strategies, the structuring of technology transfer agreements, expanding product reach for new IP creation, real-world cases, forging strategic alliances and partnerships, and building commercialisation plans for innovation.

Business modelling and start-up strategies were discussed, with a post-lunch session on day three by Prof. Suveera Gill from UBS, PU, focusing on designing ventures to create and capture value in innovation-led businesses.

On the fourth day, Dr. Sumedha Nadkar from Mumbai and Adjunct Faculty at UIPS, PU, spoke vividly about how Indian pharmaceutical companies strategically utilise Para IV filings for generic entry, and the critical roles of DMF (Drug Master File) databases and the US FDA Orange Book in securing regulatory and market access. Valuation, pricing strategies, funding opportunities, and tools to assess market readiness were key highlights of the day by Mr. Bhavish Sood, General Partner, Modulor Capital, Chandigarh, and a team from the Technology Enabling Centre, PU, with Professor Manu Sharma, Hony. Director, CIIPP, PU, taking the lead, along with Managers Prateek Sahni and Dr. Virender Singh.

The final day featured market analysis for technology transfer and an expert session on intellectual property strategies and portfolio management by Amitabh Mishra, DGM (Bio-Pharma) & IC Legal, NRDC, New Delhi, and Divya Kaushik, Regd. Patent Agent, Scientist, Patent Information Centre & Technology Innovation Support Centre, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST).

The workshop concluded with participant presentations and valedictory remarks by Dr. Dapinder Kaur Bakshi, Joint Director and Head, Research and Start-up Facilitation Division, and In-charge, Patent Information Centre and Technology & Innovation Support Centre, PSCST, encapsulating key learnings and celebrating collaborative achievements over the week.

The international workshop culminated with consolidation of learning over the five days by the participants in the form of presentations on their innovative ideas and their planning of the key elements of their start-up venture. Participants were divided into 10 teams of 7–8 participants each and were given 5+2 minutes to present. Three teams were adjudged the best and attractive prizes were distributed.

Professor Indu Pal Kaur, host faculty, summarised the five-day deliberations and Professor Gurjaspreet Singh, the Local Coordinator of the GIAN programme at PU, delivered the vote of thanks.