Society for Biomaterials & Artificial Organs (India)
INDIA is one of the fastest growing healthcare markets in the world. The estimate of healthcare market in eighties was about $1 billion (INR 12.37 billion in 1986) with a projected growth rate of 18%. This figure has now reached to $190 billion (2020). Realizing this huge potential, Indian industry as well as academia has started showing keen interest in biomaterials and medical devices research. As a result, establishments like National Laboratories, Indian Institutes of Technology and other leading Universities have started research as well as teaching programs. Many of the establishments work in close association with the industry also. As an outcome of this, apart from the ongoing research activities, indigenously developed implants and devices like artificial heart valve, hydrocephalus shunt, blood oxygenator etc. are also available in the Indian market. In India, the medical devices industry is small, with a disproportionate reliance on imports and a complex regulatory environment. Imports constitute around 75% of the medical devices industry sales in India. The medical devices market alone in India is expected to reach INR 4,358.64 billion by the financial year 2027, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~41.93% during the 2023 – 2027 period.
Foreseeing this requirement and in order to develop coherence among the scientists and engineers working in this field, way back in 1986 Dr. Chandra P. Sharma along with his colleagues founded the Society as a non-profit professional organization (on January 3, 1986 with 40 consented members at Satelmond Palace, Biomedical Technology Wing, SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram). The Society was inaugurated on January 24, 1986 by Dr. R.E. Baier, Director Health Instruments and Devices Institute, New York, USA with a lecture on “Biocompatibility of Materials”. Members subsequently met on February 12, 1986 and elected the office bearers with Dr. Sharma as the founder President. The rules and regulations formed was approved by the executive committee met on February 27, 1986, and was then registered under the Travancore-Cochin Act XII of 1955 (act for registration of literary, scientific, and charitable societies) with the name Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs – India, (SBAOI) (Incorporation Day – March 12, 1986). SBAOI is now a member of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUS-BSE) (since 2003).
Read Rules and Regulations of SBAOI
The primary objective of SBAOI is to cultivate an ecosystem nationwide for the growth of fundamental and technology-oriented research in Biomaterials and Artificial Organs. Another mandate is to serve as platform for the stakeholders, like clinicians, industry professionals, together with researchers from academia and national labs. This, we believe, can accelerate translational research in the emerging field of significant societal relevance.
The Society is administered by its office bearers consisting of the President, two Vice Presidents, the General Secretary, Treasurer and members of the executive committee, elected during the general body meeting of the society.
Current Executive Council Members
Activities of the Society
National Conferences are organized by the Society from time to time, with the financial assistance mainly from the various departments of the Government of India such as Department of Science & Technology (DST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Kerala State Council for Science Technology & Environment (KSCSTE) and other private agencies. In addition to the delegates from all over India, these conferences have been attended by delegates from countries like USA, Germany, Netherlands, Turkey, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdon, Ireland, Canada, China, Malasia, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan etc.
Society’s Publications
Society publishes an international journal Trends in Biomaterials & Artificial Organs edited by Dr. Chanrda P. Sharma & Dr. Harikrishna Varma. The journal is indexed in Scopus, EBSCO, Google Scholar, IndMED etc. It is a University Grants Commission (UGC, India) recognized journal. Society also publishes proceedings of the National Conferences and a News Letter.
Awards
The Society recognized Dr. Chandra P. Sharma with a distinguished Scientist award (1991) and the award subsequently is known as Chandra P. Sharma Award. Society acknowledges the distinguished scientists working in the area of Biomaterials and Artificial Organs from time to time with Chandra P. Sharma Award for their distinguished contributions. The recipient of the Award will deliver a Plenary Talk during the inaugural session of the National Conference of the Society.
Visit Chandra P. Sharma Award page
Prof. Bikramjit Basu, the current President of SBAOI, introduced SBAOI Distinguished Biomaterials Scientist Award, which would be the second highest award in the Society. This award will recognize the outstanding global contributions made by a Biomaterials Scientist, who has made significant contributions to the area of Biomaterials Science and Bioengineering for Human Healthcare. Nominations are invited from the candidates, who have made internationally-recognized contributions, while working in academia, industry, or government-funded national laboratory, based in India. The award winner will present an award lecture at the SBAOI Annual Conference. The award will consist of a cash prize, citation certificate, and complimentary registration at SBAOI annual meeting.
Visit Distinguished Biomaterials Scientist Award page
SBAOI also invites applications for Outstanding PhD Thesis Award, Best Masters Thesis Award and Best Undergraduate Project Award yearly which will be distributed during the annual conference of the Society. This has been constituted to encourage high-quality academic research at doctoral level, graduate level and undergraduate level.
MAHE Young Scientist Award has been constituted for the best paper presented by a scientist/academic faculty during the National Conference and the Bajpai-Saha Student Award is for the best student paper presentation. Society also give Best Poster Presentation awards during the national conferences.
Memberships
SBAOI is one of the largest biomaterials societies globally, with more than 1000 members, including Life Members (National and International), Associate Members, Organizational Members, Honorary Members and Awardee Members. The active researchers from diverse academic domains (Chemistry, Materials Science, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Mechanical engineering, Polymer Technology, Chemical Engineering, etc.), clinicians, and industry professionals form a vibrant platform at SBAOI. Currently, the SBAOI have foreign members from the USA, Canada, Singapore, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Nepal, Turkey, Japan, Germany, Oman, Finland, etc. Honorary Membership is conferred only on rare and exceptionally distinguished biomaterials scientists. Society has only two Honorary members, Prof. Robert Langer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) and Late Prof. Willem J. Kolff (1911-2009) of the University of Utah (USA).