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Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) Celebrated its First Foundation Day on November 9-10, 2024

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, celebrated the First Foundation Day of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) on November 9-10, 2024. BRIC, created with Cabinet approval on November 10, 2023, has subsumed 14 Autonomous Institutions (AIs) under the visionary leadership of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Science & Technology, and is at the forefront of driving excellence and innovation in the biotech sector.

The event was held at BRIC-National Institute of Immunology (NII), marking a significant milestone in the organization’s journey. Shri Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honor and delivered the Foundation Day lecture. Dr. Anand Deshpande from Persistent Systems was the Special Guest, while Dr. Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, DBT and Director General of BRIC, along with Directors of iBRIC, officials from DBT and BIRAC, researchers, and students from various iBRIC institutions, actively participated in the celebration.

Key Events on Foundation Day
1. “Race from Science to Entrepreneurship (RaSE)” Competition:
On November 9, 2024, BRIC organized a competition titled “Race from Science to Entrepreneurship (RaSE)” to encourage young talent from iBRIC+ institutes. The competition aimed to develop entrepreneurial skills by exposing students to challenges in the commercialization of biosciences, with a focus on the thematic areas highlighted in the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment) Policy. Students from all fifteen iBRIC+ institutes showcased their innovative ideas during the event.

2. Sports Meet and Get-Together:
On November 10, 2024, a sports meet and social gathering were organized for the iBRIC+ institutes and DBT members. The activities included cricket, badminton, table tennis, and chess, aimed at fostering team spirit, promoting physical fitness, and strengthening the bonds within the DBT-iBRIC+ family.

Leadership Remarks

During the event, Dr. Rajesh S Gokhale emphasized the significance of BRIC in the biotechnology sector. He stated, “BRIC is playing a pivotal role in enhancing the value and impact both in the context of bringing research synergy, enhancing, and transforming the power of Science, Technology, and Innovation.”

Guest of Honor, Shri Amitabh Kant, lauded the efforts of the Department of Biotechnology, remarking, “BRIC would be a landmark institution for the country,” highlighting its potential to drive India’s biotech sector forward.

About BRIC

The Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) was established to consolidate the efforts of 14 Autonomous Institutions under DBT, promoting synergy, innovation, and research excellence. BRIC is committed to advancing the biotechnology sector by facilitating collaboration among scientists and researchers, aligning with national policies like BioE3, and contributing to India’s vision of becoming a global biotechnology hub.

Workshop on How to Win back Unhappy Customers

The Young Bombay Forum of the Bombay Chamber organized an insightful workshop titled How to Win Back Unhappy Customers on October 23, 2024. Shruti Rathod from the Bombay Chamber welcomed the speaker and attendees, providing an introduction to the Bombay Chamber’s history and achievements, including milestones reached by the Young Bombay Forum. Nineteen delegates from various organizations participated in the event.

Dr. Lata Shetty, founder of Mainstream HRD Training Centre, served as the speaker for the workshop. Dr. Shetty is a distinguished professional, known for her expertise in HRD and customer relations. She previously authored a column for Lok Satta – Lok Mudra, and has served as a faculty member at Orchid Finishing School, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and as visiting faculty at Somaiya Institute of Management.

The workshop opened with Dr. Shetty engaging participants to understand their specific challenges and expectations related to handling unhappy customers.

Workshop Objectives:
The session aimed to:

• • Sensitize participants to the importance of retaining unhappy customers and understanding the business implications of customer dissatisfaction.
  • Develop a positive attitude towards customer service, especially when handling grievances.
  • Enhance understanding of quality customer service benchmarks and sharpen participants’ skills for retaining customer loyalty.
  • Equip participants with strategies to address unhappy customers through various communication channels—face-to-face, over the phone, and in written communications.

Key Topics Covered:
Dr. Shetty addressed several important topics, including:

• Building a business-savvy approach towards unhappy customers.
• Analyzing common reasons for customer dissatisfaction.
• The financial and reputational benefits of regaining dissatisfied customers.
• Effective techniques for uncovering underlying reasons behind customer complaints.
• Developing communication plans aimed at winning back lost customers and rebuilding trust.
• Practical benchmarks for delivering high-quality customer service.
• Tailoring responses to unhappy customers based on the mode of communication (in-person, phone, email, or letter).
• Establishing long-lasting, positive relationships with customers.

Throughout the workshop, Dr. Shetty shared real-life case studies and interactive activities, allowing delegates to discuss specific challenges and receive practical, actionable feedback. The workshop’s highly interactive format received excellent feedback from participants, who appreciated the valuable insights and tools provided to improve their customer service practices.

Webinar on The Manager’s Toolkit

The Young Bombay forum of Bombay Chamber had organized Webinar on The Manager’s Toolkit held on 22nd Oct.’ 2024. Shruti Rathod, Bombay Chamber welcomed the speaker and delegates. She introduced and briefly spoke on historical milestones of Bombay Chamber and Young Bombay Forum. There were 35 delegates participated from different organisations.

Charu Sabnavis, Director, Delta Learning was the speaker for the webinar. She shared a thought-provoking and practical insights with the delegates.

Primarily, she introduced and explained the topic and connected with the delegates for the challenges and expectations about the Role of the Manager, Leadership Styles and managing remotely. She also asked delegates to share their experiences about the best managers they have worked with and What is it about them which they admire? Voluntarily everyone shared their experiences with the speaker.

She explained and elaborate on the below pointers.
Balancing the task and relationship, Empowering and developing people, Setting people up for success, Skill development, Delegation – a win-win!, Process of delegation, Pitfalls of delegation, Managing performance and delivering feedback, The performance pipeline, Framework for giving constructive feedback, Situational Leadership, Adapt your leadership style based on the situation and maturity of the individual.

She also explained The AID model – Action – describe the behavior – Impact – state the impact – Decision – Arrive at an action plan, Appreciation and positive feedback.

Charu stressed on best practices for managing a team remotely, communicating regularly, building trust, Empathizing, being organized and being positive.

She explained the concept and topics on manager’s toolkit with the help of various activities, tasks and case studies. Overall, the entire webinar was highly interactive where delegates discussed their challenges with the speakers and got practical meaningful responses on the subject. The webinar received excellent feedback.

Bombay Chamber and FTI Consulting organises Generative AI Session

The Bombay Chamber, in association with FTI Consulting as the knowledge partner, conducted a session on Generative AI.

Jon Chan, FTI Consulting’s eDiscovery Innovation and AI leader conducted a 90-minute session titled “Successfully Navigating the Adoption of Generative AI with Regulators and Enforcement Agencies.” This session included an optional 20-minute hands-on labs experience, where attendees utilized laptops and sample data to explore various prompts, models, and concepts, including hallucinations and prompt engineering in an investigative environment.

The session offered practical applications of Generative AI within disputes and investigations, equipping legal, compliance, and investigation leaders with insights on effectively incorporating this technology into their operations. Attendees gained actionable strategies for integrating AI to enhance efficiency and support organisational goals.

Designed for professionals focused on governance, risk, and compliance, the discussion addressed the unique challenges and opportunities posed by Generative AI in regulated environments. FTI’s extensive experiments with this emerging technology provided transparency around associated risks and considerations.

As AI rapidly evolved, organisations learned the importance of navigating uncharted territories, particularly in experimentation and result validation to mitigate risks and support new processes enabled by Generative AI. The session delivered expert perspectives on managing regulatory scrutiny, addressing potential risks, and responsibly leveraging AI to improve operational efficiency while fulfilling legal and compliance obligations.

Following the session, attendees had the opportunity to network during a lunch, fostering discussions around the insights shared and the future implications of Generative AI in their respective fields.