Source: www.business-standard.com

Mercator, the IT-division of Dubai-based Emirates Group and Computer Sciences Corporation, opened a dedicated development centre (DDC) in Bangalore for its IT services. The opening of the DDC is part of a previously announced contract signed between Mercator and Covansys, a company now merged with CSC India.

Working with CSC India, Mercator’s new DDC will offer its travel and transportation industry clients scalable IT services including product development, applications development and maintenance, testing services, technology consulting and project management. They will cover technologies like Java, Oracle application and data warehousing, Dot Net, ERP and other specialised niche technologies.

“The DDC will energise Emirates Group’s business expansion plans and strengthen Mercator’s existing development capabilities as a IT solution supplier to the aviation industry,” the company officials said.

Patrick Naef, Head of Mercator and Divisional Senior Vice President IT, Emirates Group, said: “We have achieved a key landmark in our IT sourcing strategy. With a goal to satisfy the diverse needs and IT challenges of the Emirates Group, we are also keen to satisfy our other customers.”

Raj B Vattikuti, Group President, CSC India, said, “The inauguration of the centre is followed by almost four years of project association between Emirates Group and Covansys. Emirates Group, and in particular Mercator, is a strategic account for CSC India.”

Mercator meets the IT needs the Emirates Group firms — the Emirates Airline and Dnata, the air travel services organisation in the Middle East.

Mercator has also developed a portfolio of products encompassing airline financial solutions, air cargo and logistics solutions, passenger and airport solutions, airline process outsourcing and airline business consultancy. The company has more than 150 customers such as British Airways, Emirates, Gulf Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and South African Airways.

Source: sify.com

New Delhi: India has emerged as a popular destination for clinical research, overtaking China, and is cheaper too, says a Planning Commission report.

The market value of clinical trial research outsourced to India is estimated at around $300 million, with projected revenues of $1.5-2 billion by 2010.

Global pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing 139 trials to India, as compared to 98 being undertaken in China, the report released Wednesday by Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.

The increased trial flow to India is based on several fundamental strengths like good hospitals, competent medical professionals, diverse genetic pool and large patient pools with diseases ranging from heart diseases, diabetes and psychiatric disorders, which are also prevalent in industrialised countries.

The cost of conducting research in India ranges between 20 and 60 per cent of the cost in industrialised countries, it said. Clinical researchers, nurses and IT staff can be hired at less than a third of wages in the industrialised countries.

However, it said, though the “prospects for outsourcing of clinical research by global pharmaceutical companies look bright, there are a number of problems that need attention”. India was hampered by a glaring lack of critical infrastructure like accreditation to international laboratories and shortage of research personnel.

It said “there are weaknesses in the regulatory infrastructure and the Office of the Drugs Controller is understaffed and lacking in capacity to deal with such new areas as stem cell research and GM food”.

The suggestions were made by a high level Planning Commission group, headed by Anwarul Hoda, member (International Economics). The group was set up by the commission to examine the different aspects influencing the performances of the services sector and suggest short- and long-term policies to improve and sustain its competitiveness in the coming years.

Noting the lack of a world-class testing laboratory for validation of tests, the report said though the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories provides accreditation to labs, it has no international standing.