Novo Nordisk Signs MoU with Manipal Academy for Healthcare Innovation

Novo Nordisk Global Business Services (GBS) and Manipal Academy for Higher Education (MAHE) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities to collaborate across the pharma value chain and its application in the healthcare ecosystem.

Under the terms of the MoU, MAHE, and Novo Nordisk GBS will jointly engage in initiatives including, innovation projects, hackathons, case competitions, guest lectures, education programs, internships, placements, employee development, and corporate social responsibility collaborations. The MoU was signed on August 3 at the Manipal campus and will be effective for a period of two years.

Mr John Dawber, Corporate Vice President & Managing Director at Novo Nordisk GBS said "Novo Nordisk Global Business Services are honored & privileged to undertake this partnership. Manipal University has innovation, ambition, and academic rigor at its core, combined with creativity and an inclusive culture.  We feel excited to have found shared values, and we are eager to make a difference for students, for our employees, and for society."

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Prasanna Kumar, Vice President, Global Safety at Novo Nordisk GBS, said, "We are delighted to be joining hands with a reputed academic institute like MAHE and strongly believe that this partnership will help in further exploring opportunities in multidisciplinary areas of mutual interest.  With access to the academic talent pool at MAHE in collaboration with specialists at Novo Nordisk GBS, we believe we can significantly enhance our innovation contribution to the Indian academic ecosystem and ultimately improve health."

Lt. Gen. (Dr) M. D. Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, MAHE said, “We are excited about the huge potential that this MoU holds between MAHE and Novo Nordisk GBS for innovation in healthcare. By combining our expertise, resources, and shared vision, we will create an ecosystem that fosters breakthrough research and facilitates the development of innovative solutions.”

Dr Sharath Rao, Pro Vice Chancellor – Health Sciences, MAHE said “MAHE and Novo Nordisk GBS will work together to develop training programs and workshops to enhance the skills of healthcare professionals, researchers, and students. This collaboration will promote continuous learning, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and empower individuals to excel in their respective fields.”

Dr Giridhar P Kini, Registrar, MAHE said “With the signing of this MoU, we are confident that the collaboration will be a good value addition and accelerate growth in the healthcare sector, thus benefitting the society.”

Dr Raviraja N S, Director, Planning and Monitoring, briefed about the objectives of MoU during welcome address.

Dr Harish Kumar S., Professor and Director, Corporate Relations, MAHE added, “We are very happy to collaborate with Novo Nordisk to foster multidimensional industry-academia engagement. We have always been committed to innovation, technology, and digital advancement, and that has led us to this remarkable collaboration. I would like to applaud the entire MAHE team for their hard work and thank Novo Nordisk GBS for their trust in us. We will continue to push the envelope and inspire future generations through our partnerships and initiatives.”

Dr C Mallikarjuna Rao, Principal of Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences said that he would be delighted to initiate a centre on Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics. The proposed centre will offer certificate programs and research collaboration with Novo Nordisk.

This will be the second partnership for Novo Nordisk GBS with the academia, having signed an MoU with IIIT Bangalore in May 2023. Besides fostering knowledge sharing between industry and academia, the partnership will also provide students at MAHE with opportunities to gain real-world experiences, develop new skills, and build relationships with leading industry professionals.