Austrade Education and Future Skills Initiatives and Australia–India Cybersecurity Hackathon Challenge launched at AIBX 2022 Business Mission event in Bengaluru

 Bengaluru, 30^th September 2022: As a part of the AIBX 2022 Business Mission, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) launched future skills initiatives, the Australia-India Cybersecurity Hackathon Challenge along with key partnerships and initiatives in Bengaluru today.

 

Austrade’s future skills initiatives will support skilling capacity in India by upskilling India’s workforce through world-class Australian vocational, training and education programs. Austrade will bring a delegation of Australian skills providers to India early 2023, to exchange ideas and partner for success with Indian counterparts.

 

To support tech collaboration, Austrade has partnered with NASSCOM and 2 universities for the Australia-India Cybersecurity Hackathon Challenge. This program will bring together industry and academia to showcase the cyber credentials of Australian and Indian universities and their students.  Students competing in this challenge will tackle real-world challenges, during the hackathon, with the help of industry experts.  

 

Speaking at the launch, Mr Xavier Simonet, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Australian Government said, “Australian Government Education initiatives are designed to shape the global careers of Indian students. We work closely with the students to assure world-class education, skills to support strong careers pathways and an unmatched lifestyle for students. Since the early 2000s, Australia has become a destination of choice for Indian students pursuing higher education internationally and will continue to have a strong relationship with the students. This year’s AIBX 2022 business mission comes at a time when Australia and India are more strategically and economically aligned and our focus turns to bringing Australian skills and curriculum to be delivered in India through partner institutes.”

 

Dr Monica Kennedy, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, Australian Trade and Investment Commission also announced several Australia-India partnerships. These announcements were witnessed by Mr Xavier Simonet, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Australian Government.

1.      The UNISA–Accenture partnership is a 10-year program. UNISA will offer a Bachelor of Digital Business program for which content is provided by Accenture. It also includes opportunity for Accenture scholarships and internships for students.

 

2.      Australia’s Griffith University, UpGrad, Insofe and UpGrad Atlas signed a partnership for 3+2 transfer arrangement for UpGrad students to Griffith University for a Master of Information Technology program.

 

3.       Curtin University signed a partnership with TEXMiN, the technology innovation hub of the IIT-Indian School of Mines Dhanbad. This partnership will foster development and commercialisation of cyber-physical system based services & products related to exploration and mining. The signing will also see the establishment of a world-class center at the IIT ISM Campus at Dhanbad.

Dr Kennedy also launched Study Australia’s “India Student Hub (Digital Education Hub) toolkit” which provides Indian students with access to course search tools, an employability hub and masterclass library to help identify their strengths, scope career options and build their employability skills. Students will also have access to course information to identify the best courses for their careers. The hub elevates ‘Study Australia’ brand positioning through omni-channel campaigns and special projects like the Industry Experience Program, Study Entrepreneurship Challenge, and Study Australia showcase. The site also hosts the ‘partner hub’ which provides up-to-date information to education partners.

 

About the AIBX 2022 Business Mission

 

The Australia India Business Exchange mission is a flagship programme of the Australian government to promote trade and investment ties with India. The AIBX 2022 Business Mission will support Australian exporters to capture commercial opportunities in high-growth and future-facing segments of the dynamic Indian economy. 

 

The mission will be the first Australian Government-sponsored multi-sector trade mission to India since early 2020 and will be an important signal to India of Australia’s commitment to the trade and investment relationship.

 

Over 100+ Australian business delegates from five priority sectors: agrifood, built environment, critical minerals, digital health and education are in India as a part of the mission.

 

CATAPULT’ India’s largest Logistics incubator program by Mahindra Logistics, signs MoU with successful Cohorts

~ 10 start-ups will work with the company on innovative solutions~

~Day-long premiere event attracts logistics start-ups & supply chain heads of leading companies~

 

Bangalore, September 22, 2022: Mahindra Logistics Ltd. (MLL), one of India’s largest Third-Party Logistics (3PL) solution providers announced the strategic collaborations with ten innovative technology start-ups during the CATAPULT Premier day at Bangalore today.

The CATAPULT incubator program is one of the most ambitious technology-based initiative of Mahindra Logistics. Six cohorts of CATAPULT 2.0 have been collaborating with MLL over the last nine months and technology MVPs (pilots) were successfully piloted during this period. MVPs were focused towards developing sustainable solutions and enhancing operational efficiencies in the logistics and mobility space.

CATAPULT Cohort 2.0 covered wide technology domains like Vision tech, Advanced analytics, AI based optimizer, location-based monitoring tech and sustainable last mile delivery solutions. Six startups that were part of Cohort 2.0 were Accio Robotics, Linkeddots, Constems – AI, SenseGiz, Jidoka Technologies and Aurita Bikes.

At the premiere day expo, ten startups (cohort 1 & 2) showcased their technology innovations that were validated. During the award ceremony, “Strategic Collaboration Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)” were signed with eight start-ups – HiPer, Enmovil, KoiReader, Accio Robotics, Aurita Bikes, Constem – AI, Linkeddots, and Sensegiz. The technology start-ups will be integrated as part of MLL’s ‘Smart Automation Program’. These collaborations will aid in enhancing operational efficiencies through real time deployment and strengthen this platform for future innovators in the logistics industry.

Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said, “I have enormous hope for the outcome of this incubation program. It is an initiative that has come along at the right time and the right place - because the logistics sector is propelled forward by tailwinds of policy and demand from the growing manufacturing sector. This program will help all unseen gems shine by enabling innovators to bring their creations to implementation, commercialisation and scale. For us in the Mahindra group, it enables us to partner with the most agile and inventive start-up culture and direct its energies to areas that will benefit us, other companies and the Nation. It’s a great symbiotic relationship.”

Mr. Rampraveen Swaminathan, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Logistics Limited, said, “True to our Purpose of ‘Accelerating commerce and empowering communities to Rise’, we are excited to partner with the startup eco-system through this program. We have come a long way since last year for this second edition of Catapult. Majority of this cohort will be embedded to our eco-system to co-create future-ready tech-powered solutions for the Indian Supply Chain & Mobility sector. I am eager to work with the winners of this second edition and look forward for an equally exciting season, towards the end of this year.”

The Catapult Incubator focused on identifying technology solutions in the Logistics, Supply Chain and Mobility space. The technological areas of focus included: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics & Automation, Virtual reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR), Drones, Big Data & Analytics, Low-Cost Hardware/ Connectivity/ GPS Based Solutions and E-Mobility Solutions. A total of 1000 start-ups registered for CATAPULT thus far.

 

 

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Team of Neonatologists uses novel medical technology to save the life of a newborn, to calm down its racing heart~

• Newborn travels 200 km on ‘Motherhood NICU on Wheels’ to receive treatment in Bangalore
• Medical feat achieved using “Total body Cooling” to bring down body temperature from 37^o Celsius to 33.5^o Celsius

 

Bangalore, 21st September 2022: In a miraculous case, a specialized team of Neonatologists from Motherhood Hospitals, Bengaluru carried out a novel technique – “Total Body Cooling” procedure to save the life of a newborn baby (2-day old), who suffered a serious disturbance in the heart rhythm called neonatal supra ventricular tachycardia, that makes the heartbeat abnormally fast (250-280 per minute).

 

Neonatal SVT (supraventricular tachycardia)- It is a condition where the heart beats abnormally fast The heart rate may be as high as 250 per minute (normal is between 120 – 160 per minute) If left untreated could lead to heart failure

The NICU team at Motherhood Hospitals, Bengaluru received an emergency call from Dr. Srinivas from Hrudaya Hospital in Anantapur where a newborn baby girl was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) and was admitted in a critical state. SVT is a medical condition where the heart beats faster than normal (120-160 per minute). In this case, the baby’s heartbeat was almost double as compared to what is considered normal. 

                   The NICU team at Motherhood Hospitals almost immediately left to retrieve the baby using “NICU on Wheels”, which is an all-encompassing high-end transport vehicle with all the state-of the art NICU facilities used to transport newborn or critically ill babies.

 Since the distance between Anantapur and Bengaluru is more than 200 kilometers, the teams from both the hospitals decided to meet in Chikkaballapur, which is mid-way, as the baby required immediate medical attention. Upon reaching Chikkaballapur, the baby was immediately shifted to Motherhood NICU on wheels and was administered 3 doses of adenosine to slow her heart rate down. Adenosine works by stopping the heart for a second or so and then restarting there by bringing the heart rate to normal. However, even after receiving 3 doses of adenosine, the heart rate did not slow down. The baby was transferred to Motherhood NICU and was given 3 more medicines as continuous infusion to reduce the heart rate. Meanwhile, investigations including cardiac Echo, ECG, and blood tests were done to rule out other causes and ensure normal structure of the heart. Then the team went ahead to deliver shock to cardiovert the rhythm but in vain.

Seeing no signs of improvement, the medical team lead by Dr. Prathap Chandra, Neonatologist & Pediatrician from Motherhood Hospitals decided to use the Total Body Cooling technique to lower the baby’s body temperature from 37^o Celsius to 33.5^o Celsius. This technique is commonly used in babies who do not cry after birth and whose brain does not receive sufficient oxygen. However, for a patient diagnosed with SVT, this was one of the first times, this technique was used. Cooling helped in significantly lowering the heart rate and bringing back the normal rhythm in the baby, thus saving her life.

 The baby has now completely recovered from this condition and is hale and hearty, visiting for regular checkups. The recovery of the baby can be completely owed to timely detection and treatment of the baby at the hands of specialized medical experts.

 Commenting on the efforts of the doctors, Mr Vijayarathna Venkatraman, CEO at Motherhood Hospitals said “The entire team at Motherhood is committed towards providing timely medical access to patients irrespective of any geographical barriers, even if it entails going out of our way to provide the necessary service. Our patient’s health is our topmost priority, and we are proud of the fact that our team of expert clinicians and support staff were able to save the life of this child with their expertise. We offer high intensity neonatal care, 24/7 and ensure tiny new-borns born with complications are restored to health. Our department of neonatology provides state of the art treatment to newborns who need constant monitoring and care”.

 Speaking about the NICU program, Dr Pallav Gupta, Head of Medical operations, Motherhood Hospitals, Bangalore said, “The Neonatology program in Motherhood is the largest in the region. We have successfully treated more than 14,000 new-born / prematurely born babies. 40% of these babies are retrieved from remote areas of Karnataka (like Koppal, Hubbali, Chikkamangaluru, Anantpur, Chitradurga, Bellary, Hassan, Kadapa and Gadag to name a few) through our Neonatal Transport – ‘NICU on Wheels’. Our integrated Neonatology Team gives the best care to babies who require NICU support.”

 Dr. Prathap Chandra added, “It was one of the most challenging cases and our only priority was to save the baby’s life. Since SVT is a condition which disrupts blood flow, to vital organs, cooling helped to reduce the basal metabolic rate, thereby reducing her heart rate. The baby is now almost 4 months old & has been regularly visiting for check-ups and has recovered well.”

 Expressing his joy, the baby’s grandfather Mr. Marriswamy Naik said “My family and I are eternally grateful to the entire team at Motherhood Hospitals for treating my granddaughter and giving her a new lease of life.  We had lost hope completely and were devastated to see her in that condition. Upon bringing her to Bengaluru, the doctors went out of their way to save the baby.

About Motherhood Hospitals:

Motherhood Women & Children’s Hospital network is India’s leading single-specialty chain with 18 hospitals across 8 cities. The network has more than 1000 specialist doctors associated with it who provide clinical services in Gynaecology, Obstetrics, IVF, Neonatology, and Paediatrics. More than 25000 healthy babies have been born in the Motherhood network and 5000 babies have graduated hail & hearty from the 150 specialized Neonatal Intensive Care beds (NICU) of the network. Each hospital has a state of art Operating rooms to provide Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Gynaecology surgeries. All the hospitals of the network follow NABH quality and safety accreditation standards. In addition, every hospital is supported by a full spectrum of Radiology services for women & children. More than 10000 women and children visit our OPD services each month. Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stands as India’s best and known as a referral centre for handling most complex preterm births. 24x7 Emergency services are provided at each hospital. Motherhood is the proud recipient of “FICCI Healthcare Excellence Award for Best Patient Safety Care 2019”.”

 

  

Blood Stem Cell Donors from Bengaluru honored by DKMS BMST Foundation India Stem Cell donors came forward to motivate and encourage others to register as stem cell donors and join the fight against blood cancer and disorders

14 September 2022, Bengaluru: Ahead of World Marrow Donor Day, blood stem Cell donors from Bangalore came forward and narrated their experience of saving the life of a blood cancer patient, and how life transforming the experience has been for them. They also requested others to join the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders by registering as potential stem cell donors and possibly help someone to live.

 DKMS BMST Foundation India organized an event to mark World Marrow Donor Day which falls on the 3^rd Saturday of September. To mark this day, DKMS BMST Foundation India felicitated the donors Arushit, Debraj, Daniel and Suresh who were lucky to have donated their blood stem cells recently and have become proud lifesavers.

Patrick Paul, CEO, DKMS BMST Foundation India, said, “As per the World Marrow Donor Association, there are over 40 million donors registered across the globe. Only 0.5 million of these are from India. In India, there is a huge demand and supply gap in patient looking for stem cell transplant from a matching donor. Only 30% of the patients are able to get matching stem cell from their family members the rest 70% of the patients are looking for a matching unrelated donor. India is an ancient population with a diverse ethnicity, therefor it becomes very important that more and more people from varied ethnic background to come forward to register as a stem cell donor. Today, only 0.04% of the total population is registered as a potential blood stem cell donor.”

 Over 27500, people have already registered in Karnataka with DKMS-BMST donor stem cell registry and over 70000 all over India. The foundation has also facilitated 67 blood stem cell transplants in the last three years across India.

 Young Software Engineer from Bengaluru Arushit said “It has been a truly marvelous experience of knowing that fact that I could save a life. The journey from getting the call from DKMS-BMST to the actual donation was very smooth. I was explained and guided each step of the way and all my queries very satisfactory answered. hopefully, I will meet the person I have helped soon. I feel good about this whole experience.”

  Sharing his experience Debraj, a techie from Bengaluru said “I am elated at the fact that my stem cell donation was able to help someone live, and it motivates and inspires me to do more for others in life. Giving someone a second chance at life is deeply satisfying feeling. I would like to also thank DKMS-BMST for a wonderful experience through the whole process. This is once in a life opportunity, not everyone can say that they have saved a life. Let us all come together in large numbers to register as stem cell donors and give hope of life to others.”

 Dr. Sunil Bhat, Director & Clinical Lead, Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, Narayana Health said, “India has a very high burden of blood cancer and disorder patients, who due to the lack of potential matching donor are looking at a bleak future. Today, treating and managing blood cancer and blood disorder is possible with a stem cell transplant. Blood stem cell transplant is typically a procedure that replaces unhealthy bone marrow cells of the patient with healthy cells. Peripheral blood stem cell is collected from the donor via a similar process to blood platelet donation.”

 Patrick Paul, said, “I express my gratitude to the brave men and women who have come forward and contributed to our fight against blood cancer and blood disorder. Today, their experiences of saving a life can inspire countless individuals to become stem cell donors. Each life is precious and so many lives can be saved with the medical technology and treatment available today, the need of the hour is for the people to come ahead to register and help patients get a second chance at life.”

 Patrick Paul, further added, “DKMS registry is organizing an international symposium on 23rd and 24th September at Bengaluru. The symposium aims to raise awareness, deliberate on latest research in the field of stem cell transplantation and how DKMS as an international registry is helping blood cancer patients with second chances at life. Transplant physician, hematologists, and transplant coordinator from across India and Germany would be participating in the symposium.”

  About DKMS BMST Foundation India

A non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and other blood disorders, such as thalassemia and aplastic anemia. Our aim is to improve the situation of patients suffering from blood cancer and other blood disorders in India and throughout the world, by raising awareness about blood stem cell transplantation and registering potential blood stem cell donors. By doing this DKMS-BMST provides patients in need of a blood stem cell transplant with a second chance at life.

DKMS-BMST is a joint venture of two reputed non-profit organizations: BMST (Bangalore Medical Services Trust) and DKMS, one of the largest international blood stem cell donor centers in the world. For more information, please visit dkms-bmst.org