Leaders from the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Metro Atlanta Chamber are in India through Feb. 7 on a mission promoting the state's biotechnology scene and courting investment. 

Along with leaders from Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, they are visiting companies and industry shows in the cities Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, following the same trail as a trip led by the chamber last February.

Once again, the goal is to showcase the state's assets for helping Indian firms get their products to market more quickly in the United States. The delegation is also focused on connecting Georgia universities with the research departments of major Indian biotech firms, with the ultimate goal of hastening their product development, according to a blog entry from the chamber.

All parties involved are members of Georgia's Innovation Crescent Regional Partnership,  an effort by more than 12 counties and organizations to showcase the life sciences assets of the region stretching from Atlanta to Athens. 

Different members of the delegation played various roles. 

Mark Lytle, director of the Georgia Centers of Innovation, signed a memorandum of understanding with Karnataka, the state that includes the city of Bangalore, committing both sides to collaborating on information technology and life sciences initiatives. 

Amanda Shailendra, senior project manager at the Georgia economic development department, spoke on a panel on vaccine collaborations at the 2013 Bangalore India BIO convention. 

The group also met with key companies. 

"We had a great meeting with four key business leaders at Alkem Laboratories, including Satyen Manikani, general manager of strategic and business development,” said David Hartnett, the chamber's vice president of bioscience and health IT development. Mr. Hartnett has been a regular traveler to India, attending biotech shows each year to connect with prospects. Alkem has more than $500 million in global sales and already operates a U.S. subsidiary in New Jersey. 

Ani Agnihotri, director of the Atlanta-based U.S.-India Business and Research Center, helped coordinate the trip. 

Read about last year's trip here: Indian Life Sciences Firms Eye Atlanta.

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