Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed-to-be University (SOA) on Wednesday, June 12, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bhubaneswar-based IMGENEX India, one of the eastern region’s leading biotechnology companies, for promoting collaborative research and development in industrial related research programmes.

The research programmes will involve SOA’s Centre for Industrial Biotechnology Research (CIBR) and IMGENEX India which has emerged as one of the country’s leading Biotech companies with a state-of-the-art Research and Development (R&D) facility operating at the Infocity complex in Bhubaneswar, informed a press release from the institute.

IMGENEX India is one of the largest producers of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies in India producing more than 250 monoclonal antibodies per year. 

The MoU was signed between Prof (Dr) Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of SOA and Dr Sujay Singh, Founder and Managing Director of IMGENEX India.

As per the agreement, IMGENEX and CIBR will apply for joint task force studies and projects for state, national and international grants while the former will periodically approach SOA for clinical trials of its diagnostic and therapeutic products. CIBR will function as the nodal agency for the MoU. 

SOA will allow IMGENEX research personnel as research co-guide for supervision of PhD work as per SOA guidelines. A PhD programme coordinator from IMGENEX will coordinate with the director, CIBR relating to IMGENEX PhD programmes as per SOA regulations. 

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. (Dr) Nanda said SOA was keen to have tie-ups with industries to promote joint research.