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India is poised to become a major venue for outsourcing in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, a new report by researchers involved in the first joint conference between Indian and American chemical engineers has said.
"The chemical-engineering strength in India is definitely something to reckon with now, with very good high-quality personnel in academia and industry," said Doraiswami Ramkrishna, who completed a report for the National Science Foundation about the first joint conference of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers.
"Research and development establishments in India are going to hire a substantial number of PhD-level employees in the coming years," said Ramakrishna, a chemical engineering professor at Purdue University.
According to the report on the conference held in Mumbai last year, India is on the verge of expanding its capabilities into many outsourced manufacturing areas, including the chemical industry, textiles and pharmaceuticals.
The country has the second largest number of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, which means it is in a position to ramp up its pharmaceutical industry, said Kenneth H Keller, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the University of Minnesota.
"India is not yet a major player, but its research and development spending is increasing at a tremendous rate," said Keller, who is also the Charles M Denny Jr professor of science, technology and public policy at the university.