Philips-Manipal BOP Portal Launched
Monday, April 9, 2007
A new Philips-Manipal Base of the Pyramid (BOP) portal was launched here on Friday with the main objective to build fundamental knowledge in BOP domain while supporting projects with specific goals.
Launching the BOP, Alexius Collette, the CEO, Philips Innovation Campus (PIC), Bangalore, said partnering with Manipal University for the BOP programs had its unique significance with respect to accessibility to BOP market to bring about an ideal integration of research, medicine, management and technology under one umbrella.
He said the programme focuses on broad aspects of the subject, covering understanding the needs and aspirations of the target group of consumers in emerging market, products and services needed to satisfy those and business models and organisational constructs and networks to make the business successful.
He said the Philips and Manipal University were working together in the BOP program for the last two-and-a-half years in various areas such as idea generation, concept development, rural linkages and student exchange program.
Dr M V Kamat, renowned journalist and Chairman of Prasar Bharthi, who presided, released a book on base of pyramid, an integrated approach which summarized some of the new business ideas, commonly known as base of pyramid.
Kamat stressed there was an urgent need of dedicated educated, professionals and the pharmaceutical companies to serve the rural sections of the society who were still deprived of healthcare and education.
Our educators and the politicians have still not paid enough attention on those 27 per cent of the population who were the Below Poverty Line (BPL) deprived of any healthcare and other facility, he said.