Syngene, RICH, Biocon Foundation Launch Third Cohort of Women-in-STEM Program
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Syngene International, in collaboration with the Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) and Biocon Foundation, has announced the launch of the third cohort of its flagship women-in-STEM scholarship and mentoring program.
Designed to empower women from tier II and tier III institutions across India, this initiative continues to provide a crucial platform for aspiring scientists to gain industry exposure, financial support, and research mentorship.
Now in its third year, the program is benefitting 40 women students selected after a competitive process that evaluated academic performance, research aptitude, and socio-economic background. With a strong emphasis on supporting students from underserved communities, the initiative aims to address the systemic challenges that often prevent women from smaller cities from pursuing successful careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
"This program is more than an educational intervention," said Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India. "It is a regional solution model that connects science to society, talent to opportunity, and learning to livelihood. What RICH, Biocon Foundation, and Syngene have built here is not just impactful, it is essential to India's scientific and social progress."
The program offers structured mentorship, financial assistance and hands-on research exposure, which includes practical experience in real lab environments. Participants will complete project-based internships at top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as esteemed government institutions like CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). These internships are designed to build technical competencies, foster professional networks, and inspire long-term careers in STEM.
Pramuch Goel, Head of Corporate Affairs, Syngene International, stated, "As an innovation-driven company, Syngene sees this program as an investment in India's scientific future. It's helping create a stronger, more inclusive research ecosystem by nurturing talent from institutions that often lack access to cutting-edge infrastructure or networks."
Revathi Karamalla, from the second cohort, shared, "Before this program, I wasn't sure what a career in STEM looked like. Through mentorship and hands-on exposure, I gained the skills and confidence to shape my career path."
Abhirami K, a current participant, said, "Coming from a small village, I never imagined I'd get a chance like this. This program is helping me understand what it takes to build a career in science."
Launched in 2022 with 21 students, the program has expanded steadily, integrating features like biotech industry visits and national discussions on women in STEM. Several alumni have progressed to PhD programs or secured roles in research, underlining the initiative's success in bridging academia and industry.
Dr Anupama Shetty, Mission Director, Biocon Foundation, highlighted, "This program exemplifies how targeted support can empower talented women to pursue meaningful careers in science. It's encouraging to see students grow in confidence and visualise long-term pathways in STEM."
Rashmi Pimpale, CEO of RICH, summed up the initiative's significance: "In just two years, we've seen how structured support can turn potential into progress. This is not a nice-to-have, it's a must-have for inclusive scientific growth."
With its growing impact, the Syngene–RICH–Biocon Foundation program stands as a model for industry-academia collaboration in nurturing the next generation of women scientists in India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Does India Need Tesla Now as Much as It May Have a Few Years Ago?
Tesla opens two official stores in India, years after various efforts to enter the country while also avoiding the massive import tariffs on foreign-made vehicles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a number of times regarding building a gigafactory in India, but the discussions have not resulted in a positive outcome for the country. Tesla now offers only the Model Y in India, assembled in China, but now lacks the attention and political will to build a full-size plant in the country of over one billion people, as India's domestic automakers catch up. For a country with over a billion people, India has remained largely uninterested in Tesla for a long time. Or so it seemed. Every few years we heard rumors of overtures made by Tesla's team to India's government, wanting to be the site of Tesla's future gigafactories, but after a few weeks of hopeful forward-looking political niceties nothing would materialize. The last time India was seen as being among the finalists for a Tesla Gigafactory was in 2023, as Elon Musk teased that he was looking at a number of countries for the next site, including Canada. But 2023 was also a very different time for Tesla and for Elon Musk, no matter how close it seems. At the time, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi even reported to have made a personal push for Gigafactory India, which would have given Tesla not only tremendous regional export potential, but also longer-range export potential to Europe. In the end, nothing came of that particular effort in 2023, though India did once again pop up in mid-February of this year as CEO Elon Musk met privately with Prime Minister Modi, amid rumors of another push for a Tesla gigafactory in India. Attractive Electric Micromobility Network One of the reasons India has been among the finalists for Tesla's next plant is its population of 1.45 billion, and India has a very advanced electric micromobility network, making it suitable to host thousands of Tesla Supercharger sites. Also, Tesla in 2023 was still reportedly considering a $25,000 model, which would have been a popular version for India and for regional export. The eventual demise of that model, believed to have been felled by a number of factors including inflation, seemingly closed the door on Gigafactory India as well. One major sticking point during all of these negotiations—at least as it concerns an official launch if not local manufacturing—was a waiver from India's very high import duties, which had effectively kept out many Tesla vehicles, even through the gray market. Now, Tesla appears to be inching closer to an official sales launch in the country if not local manufacture—a business case that seems to have eroded relatively quickly over the past two years. For starters, Tesla would need the money to build the factory in India, and its financial picture is seen as having steadily eroded throughout 2025. Stores in Delhi and Mumbai? Nevertheless, Tesla has just opened a showroom in Delhi and has leased several pieces of land in nearby cities. A Supercharger location has been built near the Delhi site as well, with more planned for neighboring cities. Overall, Tesla reportedly plans one store in Delhi and one in Mumbai, and so far the only model on sale in the country is the Model Y, which is made in China. It's not quite the big, official launch, but something closely resembling the arrival of a western luxury brand in China in the 1990s, and without local manufacturing presence. The Model Y in India, therefore, is bound to be a pricey, rare, rich person's car with just a couple of official company stores located far apart—quite different from what was envisioned a few years ago. And it won't be an offering for the middle class, like it is in China or Europe. When it comes to local manufacturing, those chances now seem lower than just two years ago when the Berlin-Brandenburg plant was at least meeting European demand. That demand abruptly cratered due to a significant dip in Elon Musk's popularity in a number of western European countries and remains unlikely to be regained anytime soon. Likewise, Tesla appears to be done building gigafactories in far-off foreign countries for the time being, at least barring major political changes. More importantly, Tesla no longer appears to have the capital to devote to such a venture, nor any new (and actually affordable) models to offer India, while also facing a thin middle class not willing to spend money on anything the automaker has in its lineup at the moment. Those major political changes may well turn out to be China's quick assimilation of the EV market in scores of developing countries in Southeast Asia and South America, both of which disfavor Tesla's regional ambitions on the Indian subcontinent. We are also likely to see India's domestic automakers, Mahindra and Tata among them, break out of a largely domestic market and offer their own affordable and desirable EVs that can be exported—something which is already happening. India, it appears, may not need Tesla as it did just a few years ago. Does Tesla need new, less expensive vehicles in its lineup, beyond the Model 3 and Model Y? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aethlon Medical Inc (AEMD) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Focus on Australian ...
Release Date: August 13, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Aethlon Medical Inc (NASDAQ:AEMD) has made significant progress in its Australian oncology trial, with the first cohort of patients completing treatment without any device deficiencies or serious adverse events. The company has received formal approval from India's CDSCO to initiate an oncology trial, although they have decided to focus resources on the Australian trial for strategic reasons. Aethlon Medical Inc (NASDAQ:AEMD) has significantly reduced operating expenses by approximately 32%, primarily through payroll savings and reduced legal and consulting fees. The company is actively exploring the use of its hemo purifier for broader applications, including long COVID, and has presented promising pre-clinical data at a symposium. Aethlon Medical Inc (NASDAQ:AEMD) benefits from a 43% cash tax rebate in Australia, which helps offset research costs and makes conducting trials there financially advantageous. Negative Points The decision to not proceed with the Indian trial may delay potential strategic partnerships or regulatory approvals, as the company focuses solely on the Australian trial. Despite cost reductions, Aethlon Medical Inc (NASDAQ:AEMD) will still need to raise additional funds to continue its clinical research, as it does not yet have approved products for sale. The company faces challenges in accelerating patient enrollment in its Australian trial, although efforts are being made to address this through additional sites and recruitment strategies. The efficacy of the hemo purifier in actual clinical settings remains to be proven, as pre-clinical results may not directly translate to patient outcomes. Aethlon Medical Inc (NASDAQ:AEMD) is still in the early stages of its clinical trials, and it may take time to gather sufficient data to inform dosing and treatment effects. Q & A Highlights Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with AEMD. Q: Can you confirm if the primary endpoint of the Australian study is safety, and if the first cohort has shown no adverse events related to the hemo purifier treatment? A: Yes, the primary endpoint is safety. We have successfully passed the first cohort with no adverse events, and an independent data safety monitoring board has recommended moving forward to the second cohort. (Dr. Steven La Rosa, Chief Medical Officer) Q: The pre-clinical data showed a 98.5% removal of extracellular vesicles in a simulated treatment. Should we expect similar results in the clinical study with actual patients? A: Laboratory results often differ from clinical outcomes. The true test will be the reduction observed in actual patients, and we hope to have data from the first cohort soon. (Dr. Steven La Rosa, Chief Medical Officer) Q: With the decision not to proceed with the Indian trial, what does this mean for your cash needs and strategic focus? A: We will need to continue raising funds, ideally with strategic partners. The decision to halt the Indian trial was more about avoiding delays in approval processes rather than cost savings. (Jim Frakes, CEO and CFO) Q: Are there any advantages to conducting clinical research in Australia compared to India, especially regarding costs and incentives? A: Australia offers a significant tax rebate of about 43%, which is not available in India. This rebate can make conducting research in Australia more cost-effective despite lower hospital costs in India. (Jim Frakes, CEO and CFO) Q: What efforts are being made to accelerate patient enrollment in the Australian trial? A: We are actively working on several initiatives, including pre-screening logs, recruiting additional sites, and using clinical trial liaisons and social media campaigns to speed up enrollment. (Dr. Steven La Rosa, Chief Medical Officer) For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
A Linchpin Of American Higher Education Funding Is At Risk
-And 2026 Could Be Worse While headlines scream about a potential 40% collapse in new international student enrollment for Fall 2025 – translating to a 15% overall drop, 150,000 fewer students, $7 billion in lost revenue, and 60,000 vanished jobs according to a recent report by NAFSA, The Association of International Educators, American universities face a far more insidious long-term threat. The true crisis isn't just the immediate shock to the Class of 2029; it's the accelerating exodus of talent, particularly from China and India, towards competitor nations in 2026-2027 and beyond. The pipeline sustaining a critical revenue stream and global academic standing is springing leaks that may prove impossible to plug. The Immediate Crunch: Visa Chaos and Plummeting Interest The mechanisms driving the 2025 decline are stark: The economic impact is geographically widespread but deeply concentrated: California faces a potential $1 billion hit, New York $988 million, Massachusetts $619 million, Texas $388 million, and Florida $243 million. Beyond 2025: The Looming Structural Shift The greater peril lies beyond the immediate enrollment cliff. The combination of persistent visa hurdles, perceived hostility, and aggressive recruitment by competitor nations is fundamentally altering the aspirations of the next cohort of international students, especially from the two largest sending countries: China and India. Vulnerable Institutions: Not Just the Obvious Suspects While elite, well-endowed universities will feel the pain (Columbia, NYU, Northeastern, USC, CMU, and Illinois CU all have high international undergrad populations), they possess larger buffers. The existential threat is to a different tier. A Brookings study found that these colleges are most at risk: The Bleeding Has Already Started This isn't theoretical: The Unsustainable Model Exposed International students contributed over $44 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023-24 – more than Disney's global revenue. They are not merely students; they are full-fee-paying customers subsidizing the education of domestic students and university operations. At private institutions, where discount rates for domestic students often exceed 50%, international full-pay students are the linchpin keeping the financial model afloat. Public universities rely on their premium tuition to offset stagnant state funding. A Call Beyond Expedited Visas While NAFSA rightly calls for expedited F-1/M-1/J-1 processing and exemptions from travel bans for students (with security checks intact), this addresses only the immediate 2025 logjam. The deeper challenge requires a fundamental shift: The $7 billion crisis of 2025 is severe. But the silent hemorrhage of future talent pipelines threatens to inflict a slow, debilitating wound on American higher education's finances, global competitiveness, and intellectual vitality. If the students from Beijing, Hyderabad, Lagos, and São Paulo stop dreaming of American degrees by 2026, the foundations of the system itself begin to crumble. The linchpin isn't just at risk; it's being actively pried loose.
