National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Raebareli, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, a Confidential Disclosure Agreement and a technology transfer agreement with Lofty Laboratories of Hyderabad to advance collaborative research, innovation and the commercialisation of indigenous technologies. The agreements were executed to foster multidirectional engagement between the academic institute and industry with a focus on pharmaceutical and biotechnology research. The partnership aims to bridge laboratory development and industrial scale-up.

Under the arrangement, both organisations will adopt an industry-ready technology developed at NIPER Raebareli for further commercial development and will participate jointly in research and development activities in areas of mutual interest. The collaboration is intended to facilitate the translation of institute research into marketable products and to support pilot production and validation required for regulatory and industry standards. Joint efforts are also expected to enhance capacity building and technical exchange between scientists and engineers at both institutions.

The director of NIPER Raebareli indicated that the MoU and technology transfer agreement would allow the institutions to complement each other’s research programmes, including collaborative participation in activities of the Institute’s Centre of Excellence on Novel Drug Delivery Systems, CoE NDDS. The director underlined the importance of the technology developed at the centre and noted that several further technologies from the institute were anticipated to be ready for transfer by the end of the year. The institutional framework is designed to streamline disclosures, protect confidential information and enable efficient transfer pathways.

The head of CoE NDDS explained that commercialisation of the present technology would significantly reduce the cost of gel staining agents that are extensively used in biology research, particularly in studies involving genes, cancer and other nucleic acid-related diseases. He added that indigenous production of such novel gel staining agents would contribute substantially towards strengthening India’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors and supply chains. The partnership will therefore focus on technology validation, cost reduction and wider availability of research reagents for scientific and industrial users.