CII & Novo Nordisk India organize India Innovation Dialogue to deliberate on ‘Exploring the next decade of Indian innovation’


Chandigarh, August 19, 2016: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with Novo Nordisk India and Royal Embassy of Denmark organised the India Innovation Dialogue at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi today.


CII & Novo Nordisk India organize India Innovation Dialogue to deliberate on ‘Exploring the next decade of Indian innovation’

Attended by over 100 leading corporate leaders, government representatives and media, the India Innovation Dialogue provided the platform for innovation leaders to deliberate on ‘Exploring the next decade of Indian Innovation.’ 

Lars Rebien Sorensen, President and CEO Novo Nordisk A/S, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice President, Confederation of Indian Industry & Vice-Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, T V Narendran, MD, Tata Steel and Bhasker V. Iyer, Non-Executive Director, Abbott India Limited were among the notable attendees. The roundtable was moderated by Ajoy Kumar, ex-member of Parliament.

The roundtable saw participation from leading policy makers, global CEOs, experts in social and grassroots innovation, and well known economists. The panellists engaged in insightful discussions on possibilities of improving industrial innovation landscape for sustainable value creation in India over the coming decade, commercialization of grass-root innovations, facilitating start-ups, strategies to impact innovation, and how to leverage strength of networking with government, industry, institutions and academia.

Lars Rebien Sorensen, President and CEO, Novo Nordisk A/S who was one of the panellists said- “India is a great land of innovation and ingenuity. As industry leaders, we have the means and resources to develop ideas into action for the betterment of the society. This is what innovation is. But innovation simply cannot sustain on dreams alone, a commitment too is required. For us at Novo Nordisk, innovation is in the foundation of our existence and it is what drives us to help people with diabetes lead normal life and pursue their dreams. We do this by forging a partnership with the various stakeholders to work together to defeat diabetes. In India, the Novo Nordisk Education Foundation too is collaborating with several state governments and organisations in order to reach out to people to enhance awareness and train healthcare professionals.”    

In last 2 years the government of India has been very proactive to roll out many initiatives and schemes which directly affects the innovation and start-up ecosystem in the country, and if implemented successfully these schemes will provide long terms benefits to the economy. Several important initiatives like Make in India, Start-up India, Skill India etc. will promote a healthy environment for the growth of Innovation in the country. The Government of India has also recently announced radical liberalisation of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regime by easing norms for a host of important sectors including defence, civil aviation and pharmaceuticals, opening them up for complete foreign ownership. With these measures and many others in place India is gradually becoming one of the most attractive innovation destinations for foreign investors.

Representing Industry Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice President, Confederation of Indian Industry & Vice-Chairman, Bharti Enterprises said “Only choice for the survival of Indian industry is to re-imagine Indian innovation, India needs to boost its innovation ecosystem, which is only possible if we contribute our part in this journey.”

Another leading voice from the Industry T. V. Narendran, Managing Director, Tata Steel Ltd. Said “We cannot work in isolation, and all stakeholders must come and work together to achieve success in the long run.”

From World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Dr. Sacha Wunsch Vincent said: “Innovation is in the Indian DNA. While world economy is slowing down, India’s position is positive and their global innovation index ranking has improved.”


About CII

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India, partnering industry and government alike through advisory and consultative processes. CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, playing a proactive role in India´s development process. Founded in 1895, India's premier business association has over 7900 members, from the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 200,000 enterprises from around 240 national and regional sectoral industry bodies.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat other serious chronic conditions: haemophilia, growth disorders and obesity. Our ambition is to take the lead in each of these areas, driving change with an unfailing belief that it can be done.     


About Royal Danish Embassy 

The Danish Embassy in New Delhi is responsible for India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives. Our primary task is to strengthen relations between Denmark and the four countries we are responsible for in areas of trade, investments and political matters. Assisting Danish citizens in India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives is likewise our responsibility.