BENGALURU: To help women build careers in life sciences, Biocon Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Biocon Group, in collaboration with The Bengaluru Science and Technology (BeST) Cluster, and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), on Monday announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind program BioWISE - Women in STEM Empowered. The program is aimed at disadvantaged science students from tier 2 and 3 universities across Karnataka.
As the first state-level cohort, the BioWISE program will support 25 women students, including 15 postgraduates (PG) and 10 undergraduates (UG) from life sciences backgrounds. The initiative is designed to run 6 months for PG students and 3 months for UG students, offering them extensive exposure, training, and mentorship.
BioWISE provides a multi-dimensional platform to build competencies, foster mentorship, and open up research and industry pathways for women entering the STEM, specifically the life sciences workforce, according to a press release.
Biocon Foundation will enable the initiative through funding, and experts from Biocon Biologics, an industry partner, will support with mentorship, while NCBS will serve as the host institute and academic mentoring partner. BeST Cluster will contribute to the program’s design, management, and implementation, the release added.
By supporting 25 women students from diverse communities, this program is a significant step towards building a scientific ecosystem, which is diverse, inclusive, and equitable, said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Biocon Group.