Paper short abstract:

Forming new ecologies of bioenterpreneurship through bionetworking: the case of Stempeutics

Paper long abstract:

In this article, by using the example of Stempeutics - an Indian private stem cell company, we aim to understand the biomedical, social-economic and policy contexts that lead to transformations in the fields of stem cell research, cell-based product development, therapy provisions and regulatory capacity building in India. The case of Stempeutics, its metamorphosis over a period of one decade, from a maverick 'experimental' stem cell therapy providing centre to a 'responsible' cell-based product development company highlights the following: (a) Co-production of technology and economy is guided by creation of new configurations, through 'bionetworking', that is ahead of existing forms of collaborations (b) Forward looking bioenterpreneurial initiatives put emphasis on 'harmonization' of regulatory arrangements at local, national and global levels keeping in mind anticipated flow of technology and economy, thereby, devises tools and methods having specific characters for countries that are in the process of adopting 'novel' regulatory standards. (c) Innovation (here, in stem cell product development) results from increasingly complex interactions at the local, national and global levels among various stakeholders. In the process, a leader or trend-setter (as Stempeutics is projected) is viewed as a 'hegemonic' player in the bioenterpreneurial market place, thereby restricts the spill-over effect of the innovation.