IBAB Celebrated its Silver Jubilee Foundation Day on January 7, 2026
The Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bengaluru, successfully celebrated its Foundation Day on January 7, 2026, marking 25 years of excellence in bioinformatics and biotechnology. Established in 2001 by the Government of Karnataka, IBAB has been at the forefront of integrating biological sciences with computation and data science, playing a crucial role in education, human resource development, research, and innovation in the life sciences. To commemorate this 25-year journey, the Foundation Day celebrations brought together eminent scientists, industry leaders, policymakers, academicians, alumni, students, stakeholders and friends from the life sciences ecosystem in Bengaluru.
The day began with popular science lectures delivered by Prof. S. P. Arun (Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru) and Prof. Praveen Vemula (inStem, Bengaluru), which were well received by students and faculty and underscored the importance of public engagement with science.
The formal ceremony featured addresses by Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Karnataka’s Vision Group on Biotechnology, and Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon; Dr. Manjula N., IAS, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka; and Prof. H. Sharat Chandra, Chairman of the Governing Body, IBAB, all of whom recognised IBAB’s pioneering role in interdisciplinary education and bio-incubation and the institute’s growing national and international impact. Prof. H. Sharat Chandra recollected the early struggles of setting up IBAB and its sister institute Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru, and reflected on the steady growth which was fuelled by support from the Government of Karnataka, with Dr. Manjula N. lauding the contributions of IBAB and reaffirming the State’s commitment to capacity building and strengthening of Karnataka’s life sciences ecosystem.
Dr. Mazumdar-Shaw further emphasised that “Biology has a lot to offer to the world, especially New Biology which requires a more collaborative approach to science…” She stressed the need for technology-driven approaches to biology, stating that “One would never be able do the things that we can do today with biology if not for the computational power we possess – to understand, process and infer from what we see and analyse…” Also recognizing the need for capacity building, Dr. Mazumdar-Shaw said that “The future of biotechnology education should be highly interdisciplinary, integrating biology with AI and data science to drive innovation in areas like genome editing, synthetic biology, and personalized medicine…” and identified IBAB as the institute that can take this forward.
A major highlight of the event was the presentation of the Chief Minister’s Award for Academic Excellence to meritorious students and Distinguished Service Awards to IBAB employees in appreciation of their long-standing dedication and service to the institute. A special segment honoured former Directors of IBAB, who shared reflections and reminiscences on the institute’s formative years and growth, with Prof. D. Sundar, Director, IBAB, outlining his vision for IBAB’s next 25 years and formally releasing a report summarizing IBAB’s Silver Jubilee celebrations, highlighting key milestones and achievements, and, community engagement.
A second highlight was the launch of a new educational venture between IBAB and the Biocon Academy in partnership with Syngene International, “The Syngene IBAB Certificate Program in Artificial Intelligence in Life Sciences (SAILS)”. This first-of-its-kind 16-week interdisciplinary programme will train graduates and postgraduates in applying AI to real-world life science challenges. The curriculum will blend foundational biological sciences, mathematics, programming (Python and R), and advanced machine learning and deep learning methods with practical case studies and industry-relevant tools. Designed to bridge the gap between computation and biotechnology, the programme will equip participants with the skills needed for data-driven research and innovation in life sciences, preparing future-ready professionals who can leverage AI for complex problems in research, healthcare, and industry. The MoU was signed by Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prof. D. Sundar. For more details, click here.
The celebrations concluded with a cultural extravaganza consisting of music and dance performances, quizzes, games, and a Playback Theatre show by Threads and Tales, altogether showcasing the cultural vibrancy and diversity of the IBAB community
