Biocon Foundation Onboards First BioWISE Women in STEM Cohort

By: WE Staff | Monday, 6 April 2026

• The Biocon Foundation collaborated with the Bengaluru Science and Technology Cluster to introduce the first batch of BioWISE program participants
• The orientation of the program was held at Biocon Park in Bengaluru on April 3

As part of the Biocon Foundation, the corporate social responsibility wing of the organization, in partnership with the Bengaluru Science and Technology Cluster and National Centre for Biological Sciences, the maiden batch of the BioWISE programme was launched at Biocon Park, Bengaluru on 3rd April.

The initial BioWISE batch consists of 15 women postgraduate students who were picked after undergoing rigorous selection procedures from among over 350 candidates in Karnataka. These 15 students would undergo a 6-month internship program involving scholarship and mentoring.

Overall, through the BioWISE programme, 25 women students in all, including 15 postgraduate students and 10 undergraduate students from tier 2 and tier 3 colleges in Karnataka would undergo academic training in areas such as biotechnology, life sciences, microbiology, bioinformatics, and allied subjects.

The 15 trainees selected during the initial round were paired up with academic and industrial partners such as the National Centre for Biological Sciences, the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, the Indian Institute of Science, and Biocon. They will be working under the guidance of scientists and experts in the field on existing projects involving research and development.

The induction ceremony was graced by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Biocon; R. Anantharaman, CEO, BeST Cluster; Dr Anupama Shetty, Mission Director, Biocon Foundation; and Naveen Narayanan, Chief Human Resources Officer, Biocon, together with delegates from NCBS and heads from various organizations from academia, research, and industries.

Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, delivered his message virtually at the event.