ARCHANA MOHAN & RITU KHATRI Even as Gujarat aims to be called the 'biotech hub' of the country, high attrition rates among employees and smaller pool of qualified professionals in the state have led a group of clinical research professionals to collaborate with the Gujarat State Biotech Mission (GS-BTM) in setting up the state's first private-public partnership (PPP) institute for clinical research. To be called 'Shivrath Centre of Excellence and Clinical Research', the institute is the brainchild of Shivprakash, director of Ahmedabad-based CRO Synchron and Bhagirath K Patel, director of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Sat Kaival College of Pharmacy in Anand. Together with other colleagues in the clinical research industry, the duo came up with the blueprint of a specialised clinical research institute where students could be ready to be taken up by industry as soon as they graduate. The initiative caught the attention of the GSBTM which has decided to pick up 11 per cent stake in the venture. The institute will start operations in June with its first programme titled Post-Grad-uate Diploma in Clinical Research (PGDCR), which will have an intake of 50 students for the first batch. The programme will have six modules with theory lessons and practical workshops. The campus will be set up in Ahmedabad and will be wired with WiFi. Over 60 faculty members are expected to take classes at the institute, which will include full-time faculty, visiting faculty as well as professionals from clinical research across the country.